To Hell and Back
by swtnerdgirl
Summary: A year has passed since Sabrina and her friends rescued Nick from Hell. No one came back the same. They all had their scars. Some emotionally. Some physically. In the days leading to Hilda's wedding, they all prepare for their lives to change and heal their wounds.
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

"_We're ok," Sabrina panted. Her voice shook, breaking the facade that everything actually was ok. "We're almost there. Just a little further." _

_Even if it was a lie, she needed to believe it. Nick was fading fast. He was already drained from subduing the Dark Lord all this time; trapping the beast within the confines of his own flesh. Of course, when they came to rescue him nothing went according to plan. Blood oozed freely from his chest where the Dark Lord struck him with his blade. He could barely stand, so he leaned heavily on Sabrina. To make it worse, the Dark Lord wanted to punish Sabrina and he intended on doing so by keeping Nick from her._

"_Brina, they're right behind us…." Harvey said. His left sleeve was hanging by a handful of threads and barely covered the blood crusted, dirt filled gash._

"_Really, mortal? How did you ever figure that out?" Prudence spat sarcastically. Her hair matted closely to her skull from blood. Her own or someone else's….she couldn't tell._

"_She can hold them right? Lilith?" Theo asked, his right eye swollen shut. _

"_We'd better hope so," Ambrose said. "If that horde gets past her and the….ghost children, we may have stayed in the Pit. No deity, unholy or holy, will be able to save us."_

"_Can't you, like, wave a wand and make them disappear or something?" Harvey asked._

"_This isn't some foolish children's book!" Prudence yelled. "__**Real **__witches are nothing like Harry Potter."_

"_We just have to keep moving," Sabrina stated._

"_Look!" Roz exclaimed excitedly. In the distance a torch flicked, signalling they were close to freedom. _

_The flicker of the torch was like a flicker of hope and they were so close. "Just a bit further, Nick. We just have to go a bit further and Aunt Hilda will…."_

_And just as quickly the flicker appeared, it was gone - both in light and hope. Before them, in his unholy glory, was Lucifer himself._

"_You thought you could defy me child?" The Dark Lord sneered. "__**No one**__ defies me. Not the False God. Not Lilith. And certainly not you, Sabrina Morningstar."_

"_Hey, asshole, it's Spellman," Harvey stated with all the courage he could. He cocked his shotgun, aimed at the Dark Lord, and pulled the trigger. The bullet hissed and steamed as it pierced Lucifer's skin. "I knew it was a good idea to dip the bullets is holy wate…."_

_Before he could finish his sentence, the bullet shot out of the Dark Lord's chest and right into Harvey's. _

"_Harvey!" Roz screamed as she dove to her dying boyfriend's side._

"_Somnum…" Ambrose chanted. But like Harvey, that was all of the spell he would mutter before his body was flung into a wall._

_The Dark Lord growled as he reached toward Sabrina and Nick._

"_Stay away from them!" Theo shouted as he charged toward the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord just raised his hand and made his hand as if he were grasping something. Theo suddenly pulled back, clawing at his throat as his face quickly hanged colors._

"_Stop!" Nick yelled. "Let them go. I'll go back to the Pit. Just let them go." He used what energy he had left to stand._

"_Nick, no!" Sabrina cried, standing in front of him to block his way. "You you can't go back. I won't let him take you."_

_The Dark Lord threw his head back and let out an awful, ear piercing noise that must have been his laugh. "Silly girl. I did not come for him. I came for you." He thrusted his hand forward, his hand breaking the flesh him in her back._

_Nick stared in disbelief. Sabrina's face frozen in a state of shock. He could hear Prudence's scream piercing the air. He looked down slowly to see the Dark Lord's hand sticking through Sabrina's chest, clutching her heart..._

Nick shot up into a sitting position. His body covered in sweat, his heart pounding furiously. He couldn't catch his struggled to steady his breathing. He turned his head when he felt stirring.

"Nick?" Sabrina called groggily. "What's wr…." She cut off mid sentence when she reached out and touched his drenched arm. She pushed herself into a sitting position and willed herself awake. "Nick, are you ok?"

He managed a smile and nodded, stroking her hair. "Yea, Spellman. I'm ok. Go back to sleep."

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You had the dream again?" He nodded. "I'm so sorry, Nick. It was just a dream though. We got out remember? Lilith and her army kept the Dark Lord and his army at bay."

Nick let out a deep breath and moved back into the mattress, pulling Sabrina into his arms. "I don't know what I would do without you, Spellman."

"_I _would probably get some sleep," she teased.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Take that one man show on the road."

Sabrina scooted closer to Nick, resting her head on his chest. She listened to the steady rhythm of his heart. It had been a year since they rescued him from Hell. He was imprisoned there for a year and it was her own personal hell without him.

"Promise me something?" she asked

"Anything for you, Sabrina."

She traced the fading scar on his chest with her fingertips, holding back tears as she recalled bringing him to her Aunt Hilda. He was barely alive. His skin pale and clammy, his breathing shallow and labored. He was fighting an infection from his wound and losing the battle. But somehow, he survived.

She kissed his scar gently. "Never leave me."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I went to Hell and back for you, Spellman. I'm not going anywhere."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Sabrina could feel the sun shining through her window. The warmth was willing her to begin her day. Her body, on the other hand, was comfortable right where she was in bed with Nicholas Scratch. She stretched her arms and realized suddenly that she was alone in bed. She opened one eye and quickly surveyed the room.

"Nick?" she called out.

"Hey," he said softly and he walked out of the bathroom. He was fully dressed as if he were leaving. "It's still pretty early," he said as he sat next to her on the edge of the bed. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"Well I would, but you're over here trying to sneak out like a one night stand. But one night stands usually involve sex so….couldn't be that."

Nick cleared his throat and shift uncomfortably. "I….uh…."

Sabrina sat up and sighed. "Sorry, bad attempt at humor."

He smiled and shook his head. "It's fine. It's my fault." Before she could say anything, he pressed his lips against hers. "It's been hard on both of us, no pun intended. But back to the real subject at hand, I thought it might be best if I took off before everyone got up."

"You do know that everyone knows you spend the night, right?"

"Yea, I know. I just don't want to upset anyone."

"Who would you upset?" Nick gave her a knowing look. "Not this again…."

"She hates me, Sabrina."

"Nicholas, Aunt Zelda does not hate you. She forgave you for everything that happened."

"She has to say she did. She's the High Priestess. If I hadn't followed my devotion and kept you on the Path of Night and right into the Dark Lord's hands…."

"You would be dead."

They both fell silent, staring at each other. This was a conversation they had often. Nick was partially right though. Zelda vigorously blamed Nick for all the pain and suffering his imprisonment afflicted on her. His sacrifice, in her eyes, was punishment for hurting Sabrina. Only it hurt Sabrina more to be with him. For weeks, Zelda would wake to the sound of her niece's pained cries. She held her as tears fell from her eyes like a waterfall. No words could comfort Sabrina. Only Nick.

"I don't want her to ha….give her reason to dislike me more than she already does. I'll be back later, Spellman. I promise."

Sabrina sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine," she pouted.

Nick laughed. "You're so cute when you're pouting. I love you, Sabrina Spellman. "

"I love you, too, Nicholas."

He brushed tucked her hair behind her ear before slowly leaning down to kiss her. He didn't want to pull away, but he knew if he didn't he would never leave. He stood and with his trademark smirk, he transported out of the room.

Sabrina sighed, suddenly realizing how much she hated being alone in her room. She threw back her covers and pulled herself out of her bad. She changed quickly and headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, Aunt Hilda," she greeted. "Ambrose, Prudence, good morning."

"Good morning, cousin," Ambrose greeted with a grin. "Will Nicholas be joining us?"

"Unfortunately, he will not be joining us."

"A pity," Prudence said. "We heard screaming coming from your room last night. Not the fun kind, unfortunately. "

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "Ha. Ha. Very funny. Nick had a rough night is all."

"I would too if I hadn't had sex in over two years."

"Oy, Prudence. Please, none of that talk at the table," Hilda scolded. "If Sabrina and Nicholas aren't ready yet, then they aren't ready. And there is no shame in it."

"Can we please not talk about my sex life?" Sabrina begged.

"We aren't," Ambrose pointed out. "We can't talk about something you don't have. Seriously, cousin. Why haven't you and Nick…"

"It's complicated."

"Not really. All you have to do is lay back, spread your legs, and he will insert his…."

"Ambrose!" Hilda interrupted. "I said that's enough. That poor boy has been through a lot. Getting back to normal will be hard for him."

"Oh something is definitely _hard_." Ambrose and Prudence chuckled, but stopped when Hilda shot them a glare.

"If they aren't ready, they aren't ready."

"That's the thing," Sabrina frowned. "I think we are. Nick's the one holding back."

"Really, now?" Prudence asked with a smirk and a raised brow. She leaned forward as if the conversation just became interesting to her. "Do tell, Sabrina. Hold _nothing_ back."

She really didn't want to discuss this in front of Prudence, but she knew she may be the best person to go to for advice. "It's just been…." She sighed as she slipped into a chair. "It's been weird. Sometimes we are really hot and heavy and I think it's going to happen then he just….pulls away. I know he's into it. I mean there's somethings he _definitely _can't hide." Sabrina paused at the thought of Nick excited, bringing a blush to her cheeks. "It just makes me wonder if it's….well, me."

Hilda slammed her hands on the counter, causing everyone to jump. She turned around quickly, her face stern and a bit angry. "Oy! I said _enough!_ It's like no one bloody hears me around here. Your Aunt Zelda will be back with the twins any moment and _this_," she motioned wildly at the three at the table, "is not appropriate table conversation. I won't have any more of this rubbish. Is that understood?" They just nodded, too shocked to say anything. "Good. Finish your breakfast before it gets cold."

She smiled before walking out of the room and it quickly faded.

*** _3 months ago ***_

Hilda hummed to herself as she wiped the flour from the counter. For some reason, she found it relieved a lot of her stress to bake and clean. Two traits most men loved in a with and mother for their children. She always thought she would have been a good mother. She raised and loved Ambrose and Sabrina as if they were her own children. Unfortunately, the Dark Lord did not see it fit she bear her own children. When Ambrose left to hunt down Faustus Blackwood and Sabrina said she was going to risk her life to retrieve Nicholas Scratch, she felt lost and powerless. If it hadn't been for Dr. Cerberus, she probably would have gone insane.

She looked up when she thought she saw something passing by. "Nicholas? Is that you?" she called.

Nick poked his head into the room from around the corner. "Hello Ms. Spellman," he smiled.

"If you're looking for Sabrina, love, unfortunately you just missed her. She and Roz went shopping for dresses."

"Actually, I was looking for Ambrose. I needed to ask him about….something."

Hilda laughed softly, "Sorry dear. You're o for two today. He and Prudence are out doing Lilith knows what."

Nick chuckled. "I'll just come back later…."

"Maybe I can help you. I am a terrific listener and advice giver."

Nick cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not so sure you can help me with _this._"

"Nonsense," Hilda insisted as she made her way around the counter. She grabbed Nick's hand and lead him over to the table to sit. "Alright now, Nicholas," she said with a smile as she put her hands over his and patted them. "You tell Auntie Hildie what is on your mind."

He contemplated answering, but he knew there was no getting out of it. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Sabrina wants to have sex."

Hilda immediately pulled her hands back. She wasn't sure if her expression was shocked or uncomfortable, but it made Nick laugh out loud. "Oh I'm so sorry dear. I….I wasn't expecting that. Nearly gave me a heart attack," she laughed uneasily.

"I should just wait for Ambrose," Nick said as he stood to leave.

"Oh, no, no. I'm fine. Really. Sit, sit." She waited for him to take his seat again. "So, um, how….how do you know she's ready to….have….sex."

"We've come close. She doesn't stop. She even initiates it sometimes, purposely grazing or rubbing…."

"Ah….la la la la. Ok, ok. I mean more like….has she _said_ she was ready?"

He nodded. "We talked about it two years ago when we were matched for Lupercalia. We have some opportunities but always got interrupted."

"And since you've been back?"

He looked down at his hands and shrugged. "She's expressed wanting to after my recovery and working on our relationship. I want to. I just….can't."

"Oh. Do you mean…." Hilda motioned downward with her head.

"Oh no! No. I _can_ no problem _there_ at all." He sighed and faced Hilda. "I can still hear him sometimes. The Dark Lord. Before everything happened, the Dark Lord whispered in our ears asking for our devotion. When I was in Hell, there was no getting away. He was inside of me. In my head. There was no escaping. Saying things. Terrible things. Terrible things he was going to do to Sabrina."

"You poor dear. The things you must have endured down there. It's natural you would be haunted by what he said. He was trapped in your body for over a year. But he's not in you anymore. Not even a little. We made sure of it."

"I know. But I'm….afraid. Afraid of the things he said he would do. Afraid of losing her. I have a 12 inch scar where he tried to carve a binding symbol into my chest to keep Sabrina and I apart." Nick paused, angry at the memory. "I was weak, Hilda. There were nights all I wanted to do was die but if I did he would come for her. He would hurt her. And I couldn't…." He stopped, unable to continue.

Hilda let out a sigh, placing her hand on his again. "You weren't weak, Nicholas. What you did couldn't have been done by a weak person. It was the most noble and honorable thing anyone has ever done for her. You saved us all, you know."

A silence fell over them. Nick may have been a few decades old, but he was still just a child in Hilda's eyes. He lost his parents young, but unlike Sabrina, he had no one to take care of him. He couldn't show any sign of weakness or he would have never survived.

"Nick, have you talked to Sabrina about this?" Hilda asked. "About your time….down there?"

"No," he said softly.

"Well, my advice to you is you should. Especially to Sabrina. Don't hold this all in, love. If you do, the Dark Lord will have won."

* * *

Hilda couldn't help but worry about Nick. It was obvious he still hasn't talked to Sabrina about his concerns. "Lilith, please help that boy," she prayed quietly. "He's a good boy. He doesn't deserve this."

"Aunt Hilda." Sabrina touched her aunt's arm, causing her to jump.

"Oh my. You gave me a fright darling," Hilda laughed. "Everything ok love?"

"Everything's fine. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know that….type of talk makes you uncomfortable."

"Oh don't you worry your pretty little head. You're a young woman now. It's a part. Sex."

Sabrina laughed. "It is. Not my life, but in general. I'm headed to meet up with Roz at Dr. Cee's. I'll see you later ok?"

Hilda wrapped her niece up in a tight hug. "Have fun and be safe. Tell Nick he's welcome for dinner."

"I will." She waved at her aunt and headed out the front door.

Hilda let out a long sigh. "Those poor dears. When will it be their turn to be truly happy?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Nick headed down the long stretch of loose gravel that lead to the house. The crunching noise beneath his feet was strangely calming. He was still on edge from last night. The nightmares came few and far between, but it was as if the Dark Lord was still in his head, tormenting him. Picking away at him and playing his worst dreams over and over again. The worst was when the Dark Lord made Nick believe Sabrina was there, freeing him of his prison and the Dark Lord. Then she would fade away and his heart would shatter. Even when she finally came, he thought it was a dream.

He remembered the pain when they tended to his wounds. The sounds of Sabrina's cries when Hilda told him the extent of his physical wounds and her uncertainty that she could tend to them all. There was even specific conversation going on around him while he was recovering he remembered vividly. He was still in a haze. Not awake, but slightly aware of what was happening and being said.

Sabrina was sitting on the edge of his bed, her body turned in so she could face him. She was stroking his hair softly then would bring the back of her hand down the side of his face and across his jaw.

"_I can't believe he's alive," _she said, fatigue lingering in her voice. _"I don't know how he did it. Look at him. He looks so…." _She stopped and bit her lip as tears began to flow from her eyes. She pressed her hand against his cheek. _"I can't imagine what they did to him. And he had to go through it on his own?"_

She shook her head, unable to stop the tears now. _"This was all my fault."_

Suddenly there was someone else there. They put their arm around Sabrina to comfort her. _"Hey, 'Brina, this isn't your fault,"_ Harvey said. _"He knew what might happen, but he still did it."_

"_I know, Harvey. Ugh. I was so mad at him though. He wanted to do something….anything to get me to forgive him."_

"_You do, don't you?" _Sabrina looked up at Harvey in confusion as if he was speaking another language. _"Sabrina, you __**do **__forgive him don't you?"_

"_I….I don't know, Harv…."_

Harvey laughed in disbelief and pulled his arm back. _"You gotta be kidding me. Sabrina, the man trapped the __**devil**__ inside of himself to stop the apocalypse and keep him from killing you. And you don't forgive him?!"_

"_It isn't that simple, __**Harvey**__."_

"_But it is," _he laughed.

"_Don't forget he lied and tricked me."_

"_Yea and you did the same to me, remember?"_

There was a heavy tension in the air suddenly as Sabrina's body stiffened_. "That's not fair. I was trying to help you."_

"_I didn't need it. And what he did to you sucked. I'll admit that, but from what I'm understanding, you didn't say not to the devil when he called on you. I don't like the guy, Sabrina. Let's get that clear. He is an arrogant, pompous ass. He wanted you even when we were together so it's man code to hate the guy. But he had to have gone through some real fucked up shit in Hell and did it for you. You, Sabrina. Not the world because he seems like the kinda guy that wouldn't give a shit about anyone else. He did it __**for you**__. If you can't forgive him after that…." _Harvey shrugged. _"I don't know Brina. Maybe we should have left him there."_ The silence that followed was deafening. _"If you truly love him Sabrina….you should forgive him."_

Nick couldn't remember much after that. He woke fully days later with Sabrina at his side holding his hand. If his personal recovery wasn't hard enough, he also had to deal with mending his relationship with Sabrina. But it had been worth it. They never talked about his time in Hell. He didn't know who it was harder on - him or her; but they did not bring it up. No matter how close they got, it would always be something that was between them.

"Hey, on the walk of shame?" Nick heard someone shout from the porch.

He shook his head. "Nope, just a walk," he said as he made his way up the steps. "I thought you were working in the mines today, Farm Boy."

Harvey shook his head as Nick walked past him and into the house. "Nope. They brought in some new guys, so I got the day off."

"Woopie for me," Nick said sarcastically.

"What's up _your_ ass today?" Harvey laughed as he followed Nick inside.

"Nothing. Just tired. I'm gonna go lay down." Nick headed down the hall to the spare room.

"Roz is coming by later. She's probably going to bring Sabrina. Try to stop being a dick by then if you can."

Nick lifted his hand in the air and flipped his middle finger up at Harvey without turning around. He disappeared into the room and slammed the door behind him.

"I really need people to remind me why I helped him," he said to himself as he shook his head.

* * *

_10 months ago_

Sabrina sighed as she slid into the booth with her friends. She looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally. After nearly a month and a half of healing spells and potions, Hilda was finally letting Nick leave the infirmary. The only problem was he had nowhere to go. Upon his return, several students of the Academy of Unseen Arts expressed their concerns with Nicholas Scratch's presence in the dorms. Zelda could not ignore or deny that it was a safety risk to allow him to stay at the academy until they were positive the Dark Lord had no presence within or command over the young warlock.

"Hey Brina," Roz greeted with a sympathetic smile. "How's Nick today?"

"Better. My Aunt Hilda said he can finally go home, but….he has none right now," Sabrina sighed. "My Aunt _Zelda_ decided it isn't safe for the Academy for him to be there."

"Shit. What about your house?" Theo asked.

Sabrina just laughed. "Yea, my aunts will let my boyfriend who we just rescued from Hell after trapping Satan inside of him stay at my house. Yea. That's not happening. I don't even know if I should be calling him my boyfriend."

She heard Harvey scoff lightly, but no one else seemed to catch it. In the corner of her eye, she could see him staring at his hands as he shook his head. She started to feel irritated at his reaction. He said himself he didn't like Nick, so what was her forgiving him or not bothering him so much?

"It's definitely something we have to think about after what he did," Sabrina continued. "He tricked me so it's not something you just forg…."

"He can stay with me," Harvey said suddenly. All eyes were on him now. His eyes were still fixated on his hards, but his brows furrowed.

"Um….what?" Roz asked in pure shock

"Nick can stay with me and my dad," he repeated. "We have the guest room that's never used since my grandpa doesn't come by anymore. My dad won't care. He's always at the mines anyway."

"Harvey, Nick can't stay with you," Sabrina said, almost laughing at the idea.

He looked up at her. It was his turn to be irritated. "Why not, Sabrina?"

"Because it's crazy."

"No, it's not." Harvey stood suddenly sliding out of the booth. "He needs a place to stay and I'm offering him one. It's not like he has a lot of options. I gotta go."

He didn't wait for anyone to try to stop him. He just turned and walked out of Dr. Cerberus's shop. Sabrina groaned and got up to follow him, leaving Roz and Theo wondering what just happened.

"Harvey!" Sabrina called after him as she jogged to catch up with him.

"What, Sabrina?" he asked in an irritated tone.

"What's your problem? And what the heaven was that saying Nick can stay with you?"

"I don't have a problem. I offered to put _your boyfriend _up because no one else will. Someone's gotta look out for him."

She glared at him. "That isn't fair, Harvey Kinkle."

"No, it's not. Because Nick….he loves you. He's all alone and the one person he needs isn't there for him."

"I don't know if I can trust him again," she confessed as she held back tears. "I felt so betrayed."

"I know the feeling."

She winced at his words. "I told you I was sorry…."

"And so is he. Let's be honest, Brina. I shouldn't have forgiven you. I didn't want to. You lied to me about who and _what_ you were. You brought Tommy back, but it wasn't Tommy. And _I _had to put him down like a dog. What did Nick do? Fall for you? Want you to go to _his_ school and be _his_ girlfriend? The Dark Lord may have told him to do it, but he would have even if the devil didn't tell him to."

Sabrina felt the tears escaping her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She wanted desperately to forgive Nick, but she was scared. "I don't know what to do Harvey."

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Just talk to him. It's a start. My offer stands. He can stay with me." He turned around again and headed back to his house.

Sabrina stood there for a moment, contemplating her ex's words. It was odd Nick's biggest supporter would be Harvey. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned to head back into shop. She froze in her tracks when she saw Nick standing just five feet in front of her.

"We need to talk," was all he said.

* * *

Harvey swung his front door open and smiled at his friends. "You guys are a sight for sore eyes," he laughed.

"Why? What's going on?" Roz asked with a laugh as she, Sabrina, and Theo stepped into the house.

"_Someone_ came home in a bad mood. Again."

Sabrina sighed. "I'm sorry, Harvey," she apologized. "He had a rough night."

"Oh yea?" Theo asked with a suggestive grin. The other three stared at him awkwardly. "Wait. He's in a bad mood. Right. Not a good thing. My bad guys."

"The Dark Lord may not be inside of him anymore, just it's like he cursed him to dream about these horrifying things happening to people he cares about."

"You know what will help?" Roz asked. "Sex. Sex will help him get his mind off of the Dark Lord."

"I've been trying. But he just keeps pulling away. It's starting to offend me."

"Maybe you just need to…." Roz suddenly gasped, her eyes open as wide as they could go. "Oh. My. God."

Everyone turned to look at what had caught Roz's attention. Nick stood at the end of the hall, his hair tousled and shirtless with nothing but a pair of black boxers.

"Whoa," was all Theo could say.

"Wow," Roz said.

Harvey looked at Roz. "Are you ok?" He asked. Roz just nodded, not taking her eyes off of Nick. "I'm over here."

Sabrina hurried down the hall as she asked, "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I just got up," Nick yawned. He stretched, inadvertently flexing.

"Oh look at that," Roz giggled.

"Seriously, I'm right here," Harvey said.

Sabrina turned Nick around and hurried him back into his room. "Let's just go back in here," she said.

"But I was gonna take a shower," Nick said.

"We can shower later." She pushed him back into his room and closed the door behind them.

"We?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Don't start, Scratch." She crossed the room and sat on the edge of his bed. "We need to talk."

* * *

_***Authors Note: I know people are wondering about the rescue and Nick's time in Hell. I promise there is going to be a chapter (or 2) dedicated to those subjects._


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was a beautiful night despite the chill in the air. There weren't many people out making it easier to hear the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through them. The moon hung high, it's glow shining down on the young witch and warlock sitting on the porch steps of her home. There was only a few inches between them, but to Sabrina, it felt like a mile. They had been sitting there for almost ten minutes, neither of them saying a word.

She wondered how much of her conversation with Harvey he heard. Was he upset? Angry? It was hard to tell these days. He was always one or the other. Partially because he could barely stand on his own for weeks. Mostly because the Dark Lord had been in him so long, the pure hate probably somewhat rubbed off on her sweet Nick.

"What are we doing, Sabrina?" he asked. He wasn't looking at her. He had a scowl on his face as if he was just told terrible news. Maybe he was waiting for some.

"Well, right now, we're sitting in front of my house," she said hoping to lighten the mood.

"I'm serious, Sabrina." He finally looked up at her. His eyes were begging for an answer she didn't have.

"I don't….I don't know," she said honestly.

He let out a breath and turned his gaze away again. "Damn it Sabrina."

"Wait, you're mad at _me_? _You_, Nicholas Scratch, are mad at _me?!"_

"Yes, I am."

She scoffed. "Wow. I can't believe you. You have no right to be mad at me right now."

He snapped his head up. "Oh no?"

"No! You do not, _Nicholas_. Or did you forget what you did?"

"The part where I binded the Dark Lord to myself or the part where I spent a year in the 9th realm of Hell?"

"Let's try the part where you _lied _to me and _tricked_ me."

"You want to talk about that? Fine, let's talk." Nicm sprang to his feet and faced her. "I didn't tell you about the favor the Dark Lord asked me to do because I didn't think it mattered. All I wanted was to spend time with the beautiful new girl who's voice was like the most majestic symphony I had ever heard and he gave that opportunity. He told me to go for it, so I did. He said I could have the girl if she stayed on the path of night. I wanted you so badly. I had to. I had to do it. I didn't know what his endgame was. I didn't trick you. Everything I felt, everything between us was real."

"How do I know that's true?"

Nick dropped to his knees in front of her, taking her hands in his own. "You just have to trust me."

She wanted to. She wanted so badly to trust him. "I can't," she said as a tear rolled down her face. "I'm sorry Nick, but can't. Not yet." He dropped his head onto her knees. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could. Nick…."

He pulled away, quickly getting to his feet and pacing for a moment.

"Nick," she called as she stood. "Nick…." She put her hand on his arm, but he moved away from her touch. The action was like a dagger to her heart. "Please don't be mad."

"Don't be mad?" He asked with a sarcastic laugh. "You're fucking serious right now?"

"Hey, don't talk to me like that!" Salem hissed at Nick as Sabrina's voice rose.

"What in the Heaven is going on put here?" Zelda asked as she stormed out the front door. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Sorry, Aunt Zee," Sabrina said, not taking her eyes off of Nick. "We're just talking."

Zelda tightened her robe. "Well, do it quieter. The twins are sleeping. As for you, Mr. Scratch, I believe the Kinkles are putting you up? I wouldn't stay out so late and disturb them when you stumble home." With that, Zelda disappeared back into the house.

"Don't forget you broke my trust, Nick," Sabrina said. "Not the other way around."

"And I'm sorry," Nick said gently. "You have no idea how sorry I am for betraying your trust. I should have told you about the Dark Lord's call for devotion. But I'm not going to apologize for spending time with you or falling in love with you. Please, just give me a chance to earn your trust again."

Sabrina crossed her arms, hugging her own body. Suddenly, it felt very cold. She couldn't feel the warmth of his body next to hers and all she wanted to do was go to him. "I don't know…."

Nick laughed. "Why'd you even come for me, Sabrina? Did you drag me out of Hell to torture me by telling me you weren't going to forgive or trust me again? Because that is far worse than anything I could ever have done to you." He shook his head. "The mortal was right. You should have just left me there. You should have let me die."

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" she was screaming as the tears rolled down her face freely. "I came for you because I couldn't bare the thought of you down there. I came for you because I needed you back. Because I can't imagine my life without you in it. I saved you because I love you, you idiot!"

In two quick strides, he was in front of her. His hands on her face, pulling her to him. Their lips collided in a frenzy. She dug her hands into his hair, needing him to be closer. They both knew their relationship needed work. They were far from ok, but in that moment, they just needed each other.

* * *

Zelda watched from the window as Sabrina and Nick continued their discussion that seemingly was getting intense. "Come now, Sabrina," she whispered to herself. "Be smart."

"_I love you, you idiot!" _Sabrinayelled. In an instant, Nick was kissing Sabrina. Zelda let out a disappointed sigh.

"Zelds? What's going on? I heard shouting," Hilda said as she walked into the room. She stood beside her sister and peeked outside. "Is that Sabrina and Nicholas? Oh they're working things out! That's wonderful."

"Wonderful? Hilda, have you lost your mind?" Zelda asked angrily.

"I'm sorry….what's that?"

"You can't possibly want our niece back with him after what he he has done to her."

"What what he's done? You mean the part where he stopped the apocalypse and letting the Dark Lord take her as his child bride? You didn't want that remember?"

"Of course I remember. He's a deceiver, Hilda. He tricked Sabrina into making her trust him when she clearly shouldn't have."

"I'm not happy with what he did either. If you recall, I did say I didn't trust him. But, Zelds, look at what he's done for her. He saved her. He saved all of us."

"So that gives him a free pass?" Zelda snapped at her sister.

"That is not what I said," Hilda interjected. "What I _am_ saying is they should try to work things out. She was so broken up about losing him the first place. She loves him, Zelda."

Zelda scoffed. "Love? I highly doubt that. I should just excommunicate him from the coven."

"Zelda Spellman, have you lost your mind? That boy has no one. If you force him to leave the church, he will have nowhere to go. He's still just a boy."

Zelda snapped her head toward her sister, glaring at her. "Boys like Nicholas Scratch turn into men like….like…."

"Like Faustus Blackwood?" Zelda pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. "That boy is nothing like Faustus, Zelda. He's a sweet boy with no mother, no father….no one to turn to. He just needs guidance. He needs another chance. Who knows, maybe it won't work out between them."

Zelda shook her head as she looked out the window at the young couple again. "Oh Hilda, it will work out with them. The last time I saw a boy so in love with a girl was when Edward met Diana."

* * *

Nick sat beside Sabrina on his bed. He was tired, confused, and needed a shower, but she wanted to talk about Lilith knows what, so he waited. He took her hand in his.

"What's on your mind, Spellman?" he asked.

"First of all, we need to get you more shirts," she said. "I don't know what shocked me more: the fact that this is the first time Roz has seen you without a shirt or her reaction."

Nick chuckled. "Jealous Spellman?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying it's inappropriate for you to be walking around all naked."

"Oh this isn't naked. I can _show_ you naked." He winked at her with a smirk.

"You're all talk, Scratch."

"If it's action you want…." Nick grinned. He turned into her, catching her lips with his own. He brought them down to the mattress, pulling her body closer to his as his lips moved down to her neck.

Sabrina closed her eyes and allowed a soft moan to escape her lips. She loved the way her body reacted to him. If this was what her body did when he kissed her, she was pretty sure she would die when they were finally together.

"Are….um….are you ok?" she stuttered, struggling to put two words together.

"Oh I'm fine, baby. How are you?"

"Nick," she said as she gently pushed on his chest, disconnecting his lips from her neck. She could feel the cold air against the spot he was attacking on her. She really just wanted him to continue, but she knew they needed to talk. "I'm serious," she stated. "What's going on? After last night, you seem kind of disconnected again."

Nick propped himself up on an elbow. "I don't mean to be. It's hard to shake though. There are moments when I can't decipher from what is real and what isn't. Like my mind isn't my own." He grabbed her hand and kissed it softly. "But you, Sabrina Spellman, always bring me back. When I see you. When I touch you….I know I'm home."

"Then why won't you have sex with me?" she blurted out. She didn't mean for it to come out so blunt, but she needed to know. "I mean….is it….me?"

"What?" he said with a laugh. "I don't know if that was a joke or not. Sabrina, I love you. What's going on….it's not your fault."

"Then what is it, Nick?" She looked at him, desperately needing an answer.

"Well, this kind of a mood killer." Sabrina glared at him. "I guess we aren't telling jokes. Sorry."

She put her hand on his arm, gently stroking his bicep. "We always come so close, but then you pull away."

"I'm sorry. You know I want to…"

"Then why don't we? I thought we worked through everything. I thought we were ready."

"So did I."

"Then tell me what's wrong. Help me understand. Let me help."

Nick sighed. He stared at their hands, fingers entwined like perfect pieces of a puzzle. He avoided this conversation for a reason. He knew it would come, but he prayed it wouldn't. Having to live it once was hard enough. Having to recall it was another thing.

"Wanting to have sex and being ready are two different things. We _want_ to have sex, but I don't think we're ready. Not anymore at least." He took a deep breath knowing the time had come. There was no more hiding. No more holding back. "We won't be ready until we talk about it." He paused and looked over at yhe door. "But not here. Come on."

He rolled off his bed and quickly put some clothes on. Sabrina watched him, not sure what exactly was going on. "Wait….what do we need to talk about and why can't we talk here?"

He openned his door. In the other side was Harvey, Roz, and Theo, their heads tilted as if they just had their ears pressed against the door. "That's why."

Sabrina got up and shot a look at her friends in disbelief. It wasn't like she wasn't going to tell them later. Her friends cleared a path for the couple to leave.

"Really, Farm Boy? You too?" Nick questioned in a playfully manner. Harvey just shrugged. Nick leaned over and whispered something to Harvey. Harvey suddenly had a shocked/disgusted look on his face as Nick grinned devilishly. "Something for you to think about, Harry. Hey, Roz." He gave her a grin and winked before moving past the group to catch up with Sabrina.

"What was that all about?" Sabrina asked as they headed out the front door.

"Oh I just told Harvey I wss going to have sex with you in his bed."

"Nick!" She swatted his chest. "Ok, seriously now, what do we need to talk about?"

Nick's face fell quickly. He let out a long breath before responding. "We need to talk about when I was in Hell."


	5. Chapter 4 (Part 12)

**Chapter 4 (Part 1/2)**

It was freezing. That was the first thing Nick was aware of. His eyes were heavy and he felt extremely tired. He tried to raise his hand to rub the sleep from his eyes, but he couldn't move. His eyes flew open in a panicked frenzy. Why couldn't he move? Where the heaven was he? He could hear tortured groans in the distance, but there was nothing but blackness above a blackish blue surface he seemed to be stuck in.

"What's going on? Where am I?!" he struggled to move, but it was no use.

He shut his eyes trying to calm himself. The last thing he remembered was chanting in a ballroom. That's right….they trapped the Dark Lord but he freed himself. The Dark Lord lunged at Sabrina, but Lilith stopped him. They needed to find a stronger prison. Then….

"Nice to see you finally woke," a voice said. Nick opened his eyes to see a young woman standing a few feet away. She wore a flowing red dress and atop her dark brown hair was a golden crown. "I was beginning to worry you died."

"Who are you?" Nick asked.

"Nicholas, really? You don't recognize me?"

He stared at her until it hit him. "Lilith?" She nodded. "How...how long have I been here?"

"Not long."

"Where am I?"

"The frozen lake of Judecca. The deepest realm of Hell. You have to forgive me to keeping you here. We couldn't risk the Dark Lord waking before you. Which he will do soon. At that point, things will be very difficult for you."

"Because being half stuck in a frozen lake isn't enough."

Nick rolled his head to the side. He suddenly realized that Lilith wasn't alone. A man stood behind her. He wore black pants that were held up by a pair of suspenders. His white dress shirt was rolled up at the sleeves to his elbows. His black tie was nearly as dark as the hair on his head and the beard on his face. He knew the man. He couldn't remember from where….but he knew him.

Lilith followed Nick's gaze. "I see you've spotted my companion," she said. She motioned for the man to come forward. "Nicholas, I believe you know Edward Spellman."

"E….Edward? You're Edward Spellman? But….how?"

"Edward here has been in limbo for 16 years. I knew I would need some assistance with keeping the Dark Lord imprisoned, so I brought the greatest conjurer and binder to ever exist here to help me." She nodded at Edward and he moved toward Nick.

"I'm sorry, boy," Edward said as he pulled something from his pocket. As he got closer, Nick realized it was a knife. "This is going to hurt."

Nick instinctively struggled as Edward pulled down his collar and began carving a symbol into his shoulder. He screamed out in pain and in his head he heard an animalistic growl. Blood dripped slowly from his would. Before he could register what had happened, Edward was carving into his other shoulder. The pain was blinding. Nick was sure he would pass out any second now.

"Please," he begged, "Stop. No more. No more."

"It's has to be done, I'm afraid," Lilith said. She nodded at Edward again and Nick could heard something scraping against the frozen lake.

"What...what is that?"

"Please, don't struggle. It'll only cause more pain," Edward said gently. It was odd the man would speak so softly to him while he cut into him like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Something cold and heavy slipped under Nick's arms, then around his upper body. He looked down to see they were chains. Suddenly, he was yanked from the ice and it seemed colder. His body shook violently and Edward was at his side quickly, trying to hold him still.

"Madam Satan, must we continue? The boy may not be able to handle it," Edward said.

"Yes, Mr. Spellman. We must continue or the Dark Lord will be free of his confines. He's waking. I can sense it. Hurry now, do the rest."

Edward pulled up Nick's shirt and flipped him over. He carved another symbol into the young warlock's back. He tore Nick's pant legs and carved symbols on both his calves.

Nick was in so much pain, he didn't even realize he was crying. Suddenly, he felt the symbols carved into him begin to burn. It felt as if his whole body was on fire. He screamed in agony, unsure if the pain would cease. As the symbols burned on the outside, he felt a stirring within him. It was as if something was clawing at his innards.

"Stop! Make it stop! Please!" He yelled.

_Free me! _Something growled in his head.

After what seemed like an eternity, the burning died down and the screaming within his head silenced. It took a moment for his head to lear, but when it did Nick realized what Edward had done.

"They're runes," Nick said weakly as he painfully rolled onto his back. "Warding runes to keep him in me."

"Yes, they are," Lilith replied as if Nick hadn't just been tortured inside and out. "We had to….brand you to ensure they weren't removed."

Nick stared up into the abyss above him. He didn't know why he expected stars or the moon, but he did. He expected to hear the chimes in the distance and the meow of a car. He closed his eyes and waited for her voice asking if he was ok. He waited for her hand to fall on his chest and her lips against his own.

The thought of her calmed him. _Stay strong_, he thought he heard her say. He knew it wasn't her. It was his own subconscious willing him to press on, but he had a stronger desire to continue when she asked him. _Don't give up, Nick. Stay strong. For me._

_You are weak, boy, _a voice whispered in his head.

"I'm tired," he responded aloud

"We know," Edward said. "But the worse has yet to come. We need to prepare you."

_Nothing can prepare you. You __**will**__ die._

"I can't. I won't," Nick said aloud again.

"Nicholas?" Lilith called as she stepped toward him.

Suddenly, Nick felt like he was flung back into the depths of his own body. His eyes flew open and his body jerked forward, but it wasn't Nick. The Dark Lord quickly took hold of him. Edward quickly began to chant.

"Nicholas," Lilith called firmly. It sounded like she was far away. But she couldn't have been. She had just been inches away from him "Nicholas, hear _my_ voice. Listen to _my _words. You need to get in control."

Nick tried to say something, but the sound that escaped his lips was more of a screech. Edward began to chant louder.

"You _have_ to take control, Nick, or _he_ will. If he does he will kill you from the inside out. Now focus!"

Nick felt like he was crawling back into his own body. His vision slowly came into focus and his body began to relax. Lilith was beside him now, stroking his hair. He turned away quickly, not wanting to be comforted. He only wanted one person, but that was impossible.

"The Dark Lord isn't fully awake. But he is aware of where he is. I would like to not have to keep you here in this lake, but if I have to. I promised Sabrina I would take care of you. That I shall. However, you have to understand that while I promised to care for you, I cannot say the same for the being inside of you. We will keep him in his confines." Lilith grabbed Nick's face, forcing him to look at her. "By any and all means. Is that understood?" Nick nodded. "Good." She pushed his face to the side forcefully and stood. "Edward, please help him clean up."

Edward nodded and pulled at the chains, they tightened around Nick, burning as they pressed into his skin. "Come on now, boy," Edward said. "I need you to stand."

Nick stumbled to his feet. His legs were still weak from going from the extreme cold of the lake to the burning of the wards. He followed Edward like a dog on a leash. The walk through the frozen lake, they passed other bodies sticking out of the ice. Some blue and frozen, their bodies covered in ice. Every now and then he would see a shadow approach one of the human popsicle. He wouldn't see what happened next, but the blood curdling scream that followed didn't paint a pretty picture.

A red light began to glow in the distance and in it a castle began to form. They were approaching Satan's lair. It was eerily beautiful. It reminded Nick of the Notre Dame Cathedral, except made of obsidian and instead of saints, there were statues of demons. In the entrance, the floor depicted the scene of Lucifer's fall from Heaven. The False God held the severed wings of the angel once called Morningstar.

"A feast will be prepared for you tonight," Lilith announced. "You will need to keep your strength if you plan to trap the Dark Lord for all eternity."

Edward led Nick across the foyer and down a series of halls until they reached a room. With nothing more than a sink and mirror. Edward removed the chains and placed Nick at the sink. In one hand, he placed a brush with a white foam. In the other a blade.

"Um….did you bring me here to shave?" Nick asked.

"I did," Edward said simply.

Nick shrugged and applied the shaving cream on his face. He looked over at Edward as if to ask if this was really all he needed to do. Edward just nodded again . Nick raised the blade, but suddenly felt some tried to press it against his face, but it was easier said than done. Suddenly the blade was at his jugular.

_Shit_, he thought to himself. The Dark Lord was using him like a puppet. The blade pressed into his neck and Nick was sure this was it. The Dark Lord was going to slit his throat. In the blink of an eye, Nick's body was on fire again. He dropped the blade into the sink as his knees gave out. His head slammed against the sink before he fell face first into the floor.

His body convulsed until the Dark Lord went back to sleep within him. Nick laid on the cool floor, his eyes glazed. He spit out the saliva in his mouth before he choked on it. He felt like he was living out a scene in a madhouse, but instead of doing electroshock to get the demons out of him, they were doing it to keep him in.

Edward rolled Nick onto his back and wiped his face down with a clean piece of cloth. "My apologies, boy. This test will one we go through every week," he said.

"Test?" Nick managed to get out.

"Yes. It's to measure the the Dark Lord's power and….influence over you. He'll want to kill you to escape his binds. But we can't let that happen. Listen to me. You _must_ control him. The outcome of this test will determine your punishments."

"I don't understand."

Edward looked to the door and then back at Nick. "The more control you have, the more freedom she will allow you," he said in a whisper. "The less control you have, the more….devious the punishment. Do not give in. To either of them. Do you understand, boy?" Even though he didn't really understand, he nodded as if he did. "I'm going to put the chains back on. Don't struggle. They get tighter as you do."

Edward helped Nick to a sitting position and started wrapping the chains around him.

"Mr. Spellman….how are you here?" Nick asked.

"I am and I'm not. When I died, my soul went to limbo and I stayed there until Lilith found me. She told me about you and what you did for my daughter. She granted me this form in exchange for servitude."

"Are you saying you're Lilith's slave?"

"No, not Lilith's. Yours."

* * *

Nick was getting used to being flat on his face. As he coughed, dirty flew into the air and onto his face. He was too tired to care. Time moved slowly in Hell and Nick felt pain in every second that passed. His body ached from the inside and out. Neither Lilith or the Dark Lord would allow the other to win. They were playing a game to see who could be more cruel and Nick was their pawn. He could feel the stubble on his face scrape against the ground with each excruciating breath he took. His breathing had become so labored, his entire body moved each time he in and exhaled.

He was surprised that Lilith didn't stick him back into that damn forsaken lake. He was glad she didn't though. He had come face to face with the demon of Judecca and he shuddered at the thought of having to face it again.

_Nick?_ Her voice was soft, yet eager. _Nick, where are you?_

Nick shut his eyes tightly. "Stop," he begged.

_It's me. _Her voice was like a song. Beautiful and majestic.

"Go away."

_But Nick, it's me. _Her voice was so close now, in his ear.

He covered his ears"Leave me alone."

_It's Sabrina. I'm here now, Nick. I'm right here with you._

"GET OUT!"

_Pitiful, weak boy. _The voice wasn't soft inviting anymore. It was rough, vengeful. _How daughter fell for you, I'll never know._

"There's a lot about Sabrina you will never know."

_Your love for her makes you weak._

Nick laughed. "That's where you're wrong. My love for her is keeping me alive. It's stronger than your hate and desire for revenge."

_Ha. Do you truly believe that?_

"You're still trapped inside of me aren't you?" Nick groan in pain as his body arched back. The Dark Lord strained against him, inflicting punishment on his organs. "Someone's mad."

_Mock me now boy. Once I'm free, you'll come to regret it._

"The only thing I regret right now is not having more onions."

_She's probably already forgotten about you and returned to the mortal._ Nick's body tensed a little. He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. The Dark Lord laughed. _See, you're weak. This is why we don't love. It distracts us._

"Even if she did go back to Harvey, at least she would be happy. That's all that matters."

_And I thought __**I **__was the master of lies. You forget, I know you._

"It's not a lie. You don't know anything. Especially not about love."

_When I am free, I will drag your worthless corpse to her rip your heart you desperately want to give to her out right in front of her. Hear me, Nicholas Scratch, Sabrina Spellman will be the death of you._

The silence that followed was worse than the Dark Lord in his ear. It reminded him how truly alone he was. His faced relaxed and moved his arms to his side. He could Sabrina's green eyes. Her blonde hair tied back by a black ribbon. Her red lips pulled back into a smile as she kissed his temple. He could practically feel her arms around him and her head on his shoulder. His whole body began to relax.

This Sabrina didn't haunt his dreams. She didn't torture him. This Sabrina kept him sane. This was the Sabrina he stayed alive for. The one he would get home to.

* * *

Nick took a few deep breaths before raising the blade. His hand shook as he brought it his face, pressing it against his skin. He could hear the scrape of his facial hair getting cut. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling more in control now. "It only took 6 months, but I'm finally getting a shave without the Dark Lord trying to slit my throat."

"Very good, Nicholas," Edward said.

Nick raised a brow. "Did you just call me Nicholas?" He asked.

"It is your name, is it not?"

"It is. You just always call me 'boy'." Nick turned back to the mirror, continuing his shave with steadier hands. He stared at the man reflecting back at him in the mirror. He didn't even recognize himself. His hair looking like a wild animal took refuge in it. There were dark circles around his eyes and his face looked a lot thinner. He touched his clean shaven face to be sure that he really was seeing himself in the mirror.

_You're still handsome, _she said. He thought he saw her standing beside in the mirror now.

"I look like shit," he replied.

_You're my shit though._

"I don't know how much more I can take, babe."

_You can't give up. You need to stay strong._

"It's getting so hard, though."

_You can do it though. I know you can._

Nick could see Edward in the corner of his eye. Edward had become accustomed to Nick's conversations with himself. _We all do what is needed to survive_, Edward once told the warlock. Sabrina was Nick's teather to the real world. She was what anchored him, keep him from slipping into madness.

During his time in Hell, his only true companion was Edward. He was never too far from the young warlock should he need extra protections when he wasn't being tortured by the Dark Lord or Lilith. Edward worked with Nick to strengthen his binding skills as often as he could.

"Can I ask you something, Mr. Spellman?" Nick asked. "Why did you stay in limbo?"

Edward contemplated his answer. "When the plane was going down and I knew my time on Earth was coming to an end, I knew the False God would not allow my Diana through the Gates of Heaven. She walked beside me on the Path of Night. He rejected her."

Nick turned to face Edward when he realized what he was trying to do. "You're trying to cross into mortal limbo."

Edward nodded. "I've been searching for a way to get her for almost 17 years now."

"But, you have to know by now there's no way."

Edward laughed. "Nicholas, when you truly love someone, there is always a way back to each other."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 (Part 2/2)**

Nick walked into the dining room. Once a week, Lilith had Nick brought to the obsidian cathedral for a proper meal. There usually was long table overflowing with various sorts of meats, vegetables, sides, and desserts that could feed at least three dozen men. Today the table was much shorter. He could actually see the table settings thus time. Two empty plates with silverware on either side and a crystal goblet at the top right corner of each setting. It was very….intimate.

Lilith walked into the room in a floor length, A-Line champagne colored dress with a very deep V-neck and thigh high slits up each side.

"Now I feel terrible. I should have changed," Nick joked as he gestured to his tattered clothes. "Then again, who would judge me down here for wearing the same underwear for 9 months?"

"How charming, Mr. Scratch," Lilith said as she headed to the table. The dress flowed as she moved, her legs peeking through with each step. "Please, come join me."

This was a trap. It had to be. Nick knew better than to trust her. He was sure there was a little part of Lilith that wanted to help him, but as long as the Dark Lord was inside of him, she would take more pleasure in hurting him.

_Be careful,_ Sabrina's voice said.

_She is deceiving you, _the Dark Lord agreed. _She wants something from you._

It definitely sent up red flags when his subconscious and the Dark Lord agreed. Nick slowly made his way to the table, but did not sit right away. If he knew anything better than conjuring and binding, it was women. Lilith, most certainly, was a woman.

"If I knew we were going to dress nicely, I would have changed," he joked as he sat down. Lilith snapped her fingers and Nick's clothes were suddenly new again. His hair combed back and his face, hands….everything was clean. "That...uh...happened."

Lilith signaled for her minions to start bringing in their courses. They brought in salads and bread while filling the goblets with a dark red wine.

"Tell me, Nicholas," Lilith said as she sipped her wine. "How are you feeling?"

Nick looked up at her curiously. She was kidding right? Yesterday, the Dark Lord decided that he would allow Nick to hear Sabrina cry for two hours. He wasn't sure if it was actually Sabrina crying or something the Dark Lord just wanted him to hear to drive him insane. Before a week before that, his lovely hostess left him in the lake of Judecca for a few days after the Dark Lord attempted to make Nick bash his own head.

"I thought I was supposed to be telling the jokes," Nick said, his tone was much less jovial. "If I'm not in the lake, I'm in my cell in the dungeon - sometimes chained like an animal - left with nothing but the Dark Lord's voice in my head. Everyday he plays out his plans of revenge in my head like home movies. Every one of them involves hurting….Sa….he hurts her. So he played it in my mind again and again and again. So back to your question, I'm not doing very well at all."

"I can apologize for how I have treated you But the Dark Lord my be kept contained by any and all means."

"I understand that more than anyone else will, Madam Satan."

"You are welcome to call me Lilith."

"I'd prefer Madam Satan of it's all the same to you."

Lilith gave Nick a half smile and shrugged. She was playing at something, trying to be coy. Nick couldn't imagine what he had to offer. He was in a constant battle the the Dark Lord. Even now, he may have seemed calm but inside his head he was in a match of wits with the Great Deceiver. It was a dangerous game for her to play to be this close to him.

"Edward tells me you have been in more control of yourself these days."

"For the most part, but the Dark Lord prefers to torture me by trying to rip through my flesh or drive me insane by playing horror movies of him torturing my loved ones. Well, loved _one._"

"Love," Lilith laughed. "Do our kind truly know what love is? We are driven by _lust_ and desire. It is our nature. Love….we believe we know it. Feel it. But it is a foreign emotion we don't need."

"I don't know about that. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my love for Sabrina."

"Hm," was all Lilith said. "Still, it must be hard being here on your own."

Nick laughed. "Everything the Dark Lord gives us comes at a price. This is the debt I owed for the devotion he asked of me." He closed his eyes, gripping his utensils as he felt Lucifer's anger grow.

_Debt? Did you not get what you want? Was Sabrina not yours?_

"Well, perhaps we can make arrangements to be sure you are much more….comfortable," Lilith said. Nick opened his eyes with a raised brow when he felt her hand on his. "No need for our time here to be lonely and apart."

He chuckled to himself. "I'm flatter, Madam Satan," he said before pulling his hand back, "but I will have to respectfully decline." Lilith pressed her lips together into a line. She was not pleased to be rejected. "Perhaps it's time I went back to my cell."

Nick stood to leave. The moment he turned around he felt something hit his chest quickly followed by a sharp pain. He looked down to see an arrow sticking out of his chest. As his breathing quickened, the more painful the arrow became.

"Unholy shit," Nick groaned as he began to stumble backwards, his vision doubled and blurred. He suddenly became very aware of a brawny man in black armor with a bow in his hand standing in the corner of the room. He donned a helmet with a gruesome face. His eyes black like the night and his skin was an unnatural bluish grey. He had a feeling the man's face was scarier than the mask he wore.

"I would suggest not panicking," Lilith mocked. "If you're wondering, that gentleman is Orion. I know what you're thinking, Orion was a Greek hero. In reality, he wasn't. The Dark Lord granted him his skill and good looks to all of which Orion praised False Gods for. He was a murder, rapist, and was ultimately killed for his arrogance. To atone for his sins, Orion has pledged his unwavering fealty to the Ruler of Hell. The poison coursing through you right now is disabling each and every one of your motor skills. Don't worry, you won't die. I need you alive. You'll wake up, but you will be in excruciating pain."

Lilith made her way around the table and stood over Nick. He coughed up some blood as he pulled himself up to a sitting position.

"I want you to know, Nick," she said as she squatted so she was eye to eye with him, "this isn't about sex." She grabbed the shaft of the arrow and slowly turned it as she dug the tip deeper in his chest, causing him to scream out in pain. "I just don't like being denied."

* * *

Nick stared down at his wound. It has been weeks since his dinner gone wrong with Lilith. As if being in Hell wasn't terrible enough, now he had to deal with the wrath of a spurn woman and her mountain of a bodyguard Orion. He sighed, accepting that it would be another scar to add to his collection. True to her words, Nick lived. The arrow missed his organs but the poison it injected into his body burned like hell fire in his veins for two weeks.

_Why do you deny Lilith?_ The Dark Lord asked. _Had you any sense, you will be here for the rest of eternity and being her companion would have made it more bearable._

"I don't love her," Nick said aloud.

"You love my daughter," Edward said suddenly. Nick looked up at him. "It is rather clear how devoted you are to her."

_Edward Spellman is a greater fool than you, Nicholas._

"I was no fool, Lucifer Morningstar. Love does not make you a fool."

"Wait, you could hear him this whole time?" Nick asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"He wasn't speaking to me. It would have been rude."

Nick laughed. It was the first actual laugh in a long time. "Why did she choose you? You were the greatest conjurer of your time, but I don't think she sought you out."

"She did not. I sought her when news travelled about you, Nicholas. I had to see for myself. The warlock that imprisoned the Dark Lord and saved my sweet Sabrina. I had to see you. And thank you."

Nick stayed silent for a moment. Edward Spellman had been in limbo for 17 years searching for a way to get back to his wife, then abandoned his research to thank him?

"May I ask you a question, Nicholas?" Edward asked.

"Sure."

"What is my daughter like? What is Sabrina like?"

Nick smiled. "She's beautiful. The most beautiful being that has ever walked the Earth. She's very smart. And headstrong. If she sets her mind to something, it will get done. She loves her family and friends more than anything."

"And you."

Nick paused. "I don't know. I hurt her. I lied to her. I'm not sure she will forgive me. Well, not that it'll matter. I'll never see her again."

"You will. If she is anything like her mother, she will come for you. We Spellmans are a stubborn people."

"Forgive my if this sounds rude, but I thought the Dark Lord was her father."

Edward stare at Nick for a moment. He was choosing his words carefully. "To deceive the Great Deceiver, one must play the odds to their favor."

"I have no idea what that mea…."

A swarm of guards burst into Nick's cell, Orion at the front of the pack. Nick jumped to his feet, prepared for a fight. But the guards did not advance toward him. They grabbed Edward and dragged him out as he struggled against them.

"Wait! What the Heaven is going on?!" Nick shouted at the horde.

"Remember what I've taught you! Do not give in!"

The door slammed shut once the last of the guards was through. Nick stood staring at the door in disbelief. He had begun to enjoy having Edward around. Though he came mainly to strengthen the binding runes or take him to shave, Nick enjoyed his company.

In his head, he head a slow, menacing laugh. _Alone at last._

* * *

He didn't know how much time had passed. He lost track since they slowly started to starve him. His Sabrina still came to him, begging him to not give up, but his will was breaking. He couldn't remember the last time he saw the outside of the walls of the room other than when Orion came to torture him.

_They're trying to break you. Please, Nick, just hang in there._

"I can't," he sobbed into the floor. He couldn't move. He didn't care to either. "I'm so sorry, Spellman. I….I can't anymore. I just want to die. Please just let me die."

_Please, just a little longer…_

Nick rolled onto his back, rubbing his stubbled face. The little part of him that wouldn't give up was fading. He wasn't sure why it hadn't yet, but he was tired. He had nothing left. He dropped his arms outward and his right hand hit something cold and smooth. He grasped the object. It was the razor he used to shave.

It wasn't a coincidence it would show up now. The Dark Lord sensed Nick's weakness. Nick stared at the blade, contemplating his next move.

Nick's hand shook as it did the first few shaves. He brought the blade to his neck, pressing the cold metal against his skin. He took several deep breaths. He could rid himself of the torture. The pain. It would be so easy….

The dungeon door swung open with force and no warning. Nick dropped the blade and backed into the wall. He had seen the horror that was beneath Orion's helmet. It was more terrifying than any nightmare the Dark Lord could come up with.

He felt anger rising in him. This was it. If he was going to die, there was no sense in waiting. "If you're going to fucking kill me just get it over with!" he yelled.

A figure stepped into the doorframe, they were much smaller than Orion.

"Nick?" she called.

The sound of her voice sent a chill down his spine. No. It couldn't be. He shut his eyes again, covering his ears so not to hear the voice again.

"Nick!"

"Please, God, no," he cried. "Not again."

"It's him! I found him!" The voice yelled behind them. "Nick, it's me. It's Sabrina."

Nick shook his head. He knew better than to fall for this trick. "You're trying to trick me. Just stol. Leave me alone. Go away!"

"No, Nick," Sabrina cried. "It's me. It's really me."

He felt the warmth of her hands on top of his, pulling them from his ears. He looked up slowly. Tears flowed from her green eyes. "Sabrina?"

She just nodded, unable to speak. He wasn't sure if he was laughing or crying, but her pulled her into his arms and held her. He could hear other voices and footsteps entering the room, but he didn't care. All that mattered was her.

She finally pulled away, wiping the tears from her face. "You need a shower," she teased.

He nodded with a smile. "It's been a while."

"Brina!" Roz called. "They're almost here. We have to hurry."

Nick suddenly realized that Sabrina's company were her three mortal friends. "You shouldn't be here," he said. "You need to leave. Now."

"Not without you," Sabrina said.

"You don't understand. They'll kill your friends. They needed me alive. They won't care about three mortals."

Sabrina looked back at her friends. "Where are they?" she asked.

"They were right behind me," Theo said.

"We have to get started now, Brina, or that horde will be on top of us," Harvey stated.

Sabrina groaned, "Ok, ok. Just draw _exactly_ what I showed you."

Harvey nodded and slung his shotgun over his shoulder. He knelt down and started drawing shapes into the dirt.

"Sabrina, what is he doing?" Nick asked.

"He's helping me save you. Just….stay calm ok? This might hurt." Sabrina closed her eyes and started muttering a spell. Nick knew what she was trying to do now.

"Sabrina," he said in a panic, "stop. You need to sto….ahhh!" Nick's body was on fire. His body arched off the floor as they attempted to pull the Dark Lord from within him.

"Sabrina, it isn't working," Roz said worriedly.

"It has to work," Sabrina said desperately. "Let me try again."

"Sabrina don…." He was cut off by his own screams. He could feel the runes burning in his skin.

"Sabrina, stop!" Theo said. "There's something on his leg. It started glowing when you were saying your spell."

Sabrina pulled up Nick's pant leg, finally seeing the rune there. He checked his other leg. Another rune.

"What….what are they?" she asked.

"Binding ruins. To keep the Dark Lord in," Nick said weakly. He pulled down his collar to reveal the rune on shoulder, then the other. "I have one more on my back. I know you're trying to do. But it's useless. He trapped in here."

"No," Sabrina cried. "No. I won't accept that. There has to be something we can do."

Nick shook his head. "Babe, I wish there was."

"They craved them into you….Oh Nick, who did this to you?"

"I did," a familiar voice answered. Nick looked up as Sabrina turned around. In the doorway was Edward Spellman.

"Dad?" Sabrina asked in disbelief. "How…."

"I wish we had time, my girl, but we do not. The horde marches. We must remove the Dark Lord. We must remove the runes."

"I thought you said they were carved into his skin," Harvey said.

"They are," Edward said simply.

Nick shook his head. "No….Edward, please no."

Edward grabbed Nick's face, holding it still. "Listen to me, son, it's the only way. You must stay strong." Nick nodded. Edward removed his leather belt and handed it to Nick. "Bite down on this. You, boy, come here. You'll need to help hold him down."

Harvey and Theo ran over to hold Nick down. Roz came to hold Sabrina.

"We're here! We've…." Ambrose trailed off and stopped in his tracks when he saw Edward. "Uncle?"

"There's no time to explain, Ambrose. I need your help."

Ambrose slowly made his way over. Behind him, Prudence entered the cell, dragging the Dark Lord's new vessel.

Edward looked down at Nick who was biting down on the leather belt. "Please forgive me, Nicholas." Edward began to slice Nicholas's skin, removing each rune.

Nick's muffled scream was still agonizing through the belt. They soon turned into sobs as Edward moved on to the next rune. Sabrina turned away, in pain and sadness. Even Prudence couldn't bare the sight.

"You have the new vessel?" Edward asked once the last rune was removed.

Prudence nodded, unable to meet the warlock's gaze. "Here he is," she said as she shoved Faustus Blackwood into one of the circles drawn on the floor.

"Sabrina," Edward called. He put his hands, still stained with Nick's blood, on her arm. "You must hurry before the Dark Lord frees himself."

Sabrina nodded. She mumbled a chant again and Lucifer appeared in one of the circles drawn on the floor.

"Foolish children," he laughed. "You let this old fool take slices from the boy as if he were ham at a feast. You've only just freed me and doomed yourselves."

The group quickly started another chant, trying to bind the Dark Lord and Father Blackwood.

With the flick of his finger, everyone except Sabrina went flying across the cell. "You, daughter, have been quite the nuisance."

"My name is Sabrina Spellman," she stated firmly.

"Now that is just hurtful. Come with me now and we will finish what we started."

"No."

The Dark Lord sighed. "I knew you would say that." He moved toward Sabrina, but was tackled down. He shoved the body on top of him. It was Nick. "Aren't you dead yet? No matter, you wish you were." Lucifer pulled a dagger from his side. He tore open Nick's shirt and began carving something into his chest. "One mind. One body. Forever entwi…."

Suddenly the Dark Lord stopped and was throw away from Nick. "I knew you would be trouble," Lilith said. She spotted Faustus Blackwood and uttered a few words in Latin before putting her hands together. The Dark Lord's body flew into Father Blackwood's just as it did to Nick's a year ago.

"Hurry," she said. "I can put him to sleep, but his minions approach. Orion will clear a path for you. Edward, stay with me and we will hold them off as long as we can."

Sabrina nodded and helped Nick to his feet. The others all rose as well, gathering by Sabrina and Nick. The wound on his chest sizzled and bleed profusely.

"It's infected," Edward said. "The blade he used is a cursed blade. It was given to Lucifer by the False God when he was general of his army before being casted out. When he fell, the blade became cursed. Tell Hilda. She will know what to do." Sabrina nodded and turned to help Nick. "Nicholas, wait." Edward reached into his pocket and handed something to Nick. "Give this to Zelda. And them….I love them."

In the distance, a horn sounded. "You must leave _now,_" Lilith said.

"We should listen before she changes her mind," Nick said weakly. "She might change her mind."

"Why would she change her mind?" Ambrose asked.

"She might still be mad at me for not having sex with her."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It had been fifteen minutes since either if them had spoken. The only sound in her room was Salem running across the floor. Though most of his body healed, Nick swore he still felt the burn of the runes on his body. He could hear his own screams in the dead of night.

"I wasn't as strong as people thought I was," Nick admitted. "I didn't do this bold, heroic thing where people should sing praises to my name. I was tortured, beaten, and punished because I want….I wanted to be and do good."

Sabrina slipped her arm under his, hugging him tightly. "You are, Nick," she whispered, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "What you did was brave. Not many people would have been able to do it, none would offer."

"But I wasn't brave," he insisted. "I wasn't strong. I barely managed to survive. There were days I just wanted to die. I begged for mercy….I begged for death, but neither came." His voice began to crack. "I was weak. I was a coward and I never wanted you to see me like that."

He lowered his head and wiped the tears forming in his eyes away before they could fall. Sabrina turned toward him, grabbing his face and making him look at her. She could see the pain and sorrow in his eyes from having just relive his experience. She couldn't imagine how much worse it was actually was being there.

"You, Nicholas Scratch, are not weak. A weak man - warlock, motral, or otherwise - couldn't do what you did," Sabrina could feel the tears stinging her eyes.

"I wouldn't have survived if it weren't for you. All I wanted to do was see you again. Losing you is far worse than anything I went through in Hell. I love you, Sabrina Spellman, and I never want to be without you again." Nick leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. He kissed her softly at first, but he couldn't control himself. He needed as much of her as he could.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her hands were in his hair, pulling his face closer before dropping over his shoulders. His kiss was intoxicating. Knowing now all he had been through, all she wanted to do was comfort him. Let him know he had no reason to hide anymore. She would carry his burden with him.

He laid them down on her bed, moving on top of her. His lips left hers and quickly found her neck. She let out a moan as he nibbled at her skin. She tugged at his shirt until he pulled it off and discarded it on the floor.

"Sabrina, are you in here? I wanted to…." Sabrina and Nick scrambled to pull apart from each other as Zelda walked into the room. The older Spellman pressed her lips into a line at the sight she walked into.

"Aunt Zelda!" Sabrina yelped as she hurried to button her shirt she hadn't realized Nick undone.

Nick had jumped to his feet, trying to find his shirt they tossed aside moments ago. "Ms. Spellman," he said nervously. "We….um….we were just…."

"I am well aware what you were _doing_, Mr. Scratch," Zelda stated, her tone hard and scolding.

"I think…." Nick stuttered as he desperately tried to find his shirt. He finally found his shirt under an all too relaxed Salem. "Salem….move." he gathered his shirt and pulled it on after a hiss from Salem. "I should probably….leave."

"Yes. I think that would be best," Zelda responded with a cold stare.

Nick turned to Sabrina, giving her a look begging for her help. "Call me later?"

"Of course," Sabrina zaid giving him a sympathetic smile.

Nick leaned down to give her a kiss, but felt Zelda's eyes burning a hole into the back of his head. He settled with a peck on her cheek. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered back. Nick clumsily made his way out the door. Once he was gone, Sabrina looked over at her aunt. "We were just talking."

"He must be very talented to talk with his tongue shoved down your throat and his hands on your breasts," Zelda mocked.

"Ugh! Auntie Zee! Why do you have to be so mean to him?"

"I'm sorry, am I the only one that has forgotten what he did?"

Sabrina shook her head as she stood up and started fixing her bed. "I forgave him. You should too."

"I would sooner praise the False God before…."

Sabrina shook her head and put her hand up to stop her aunt. "Ok, ok. What did you need Auntie?"

"A change of attitude from you would be the first thing." Sabrina shot her aunt a glare. "Have you tried your dress on for your Aunt Hilda's wedding?"

"I did. The seamstress is making the final adjustments."

"And you found a dress for that mortal social you insist on going to?"

"You mean prom? Yes, I found a dress to wear to prom. It's in my closet."

"You also need to make a decision about what you plan to do after your Baxter High graduation."

Sabrina groaned. "I really don't want to talk about it right now."

"Sabrina, you will be graduating in less than a month. You need to decide if you will continue on with mortal college or, as I would prefer, you will return to the Academy full time. This is a big decision, Sabrina. I wish you would take it seriously."

Sabrina stopped and stood in front of her aunt. "I am, Auntie. I promise. It's just not an easy decision to make. I do need to ask you to give Nick a break."

"A break?!"

"Aunt Zelda! I love him. I know you're still mad about what happened, but he was sorry for what he did and he's changed since he got back."

"Sabrina, men do not tend to change."

"Well he did. He went through a lot Auntie."

"And so did you, Sabrina. Or did you forget it was I that stayed up to hold you as you cried over that boy at night? _I _wiped your tears and told you things would be ok. He hurt you Sabrina. Unlike everyone else around here, that is not something I can easily forgive."

* * *

Nick let out a sigh as he sat at the counter at Dorian's. If he wasn't already mentally exhausted enough from his recap of his time in hell with Sabrina, Zelda's intense feelings of hatred toward him definitely pushed him to the bottle.

"Long night, Nicholas?" Dorian asked as he placed a glass in from of him and began to fill it.

"Oh, Dorian, you don't know the half of it," Nick chuckled. He reached out for the glass, twirling it's contents as he moved the glass in a circular motion.

"Well, I'm sorry you're having a hard night."

Nick laughed. "It's, uh, definitely _hard._"

"Here's to it getting better then" He held his own glass up to Nick. "Salud."

"Salud," Nick said as he clinked his glass against Dorian's. He finished the contents of his glass and motioned for another drink.

"Make that 2, would you Dorian?" Ambrose said as he slipped into the chair next to Nick.

"Ambrose, nice to see you," Nick said.

"Thank you. We missed you at breakfast this morning." Nick raised a brow at his friend. "Please, Nicholas, let's not pretend that you share my cousin's bed at night. Though I thought there would be more noise coming from the bedframe by now."

Nick sighed. "I'm really not sure if you talking about my sex life with Sabrina or your Aunt Zelda cockblocking me is more uncomfortable."

"Well in order for her to _cock_block you, you must be trying to do something with said appendage." Nick smirked as he took a sip of his drink. "Why Nicholas, has little Nicky come out to play?"

"We came close, pardon my pun. Your Aunt Zelda came in and that was the end of that."

"So you….talked."

"We did."

"About everything?"

Nick paused. "We talked about my time in Hell."

"As important as the talk of your tenure in the Pit is, we both know there's more to it. Or have you forgotten the incident that occurred here in this bar between us a few months ago."

"Trust me, Ambrose, I haven't forgotten."

Ambrose took a deep breath. "I like you, Nick. You are a true friend. And at the risk of permanently damaging our friendship, I feel the need to tell you the Satan to honest truth. I didn't think Sabrina should have forgiven you." Nick put his glass down and looked at his friend. Ambrose put his hands up in defense. "Hear me out. You don't what it was like to have see her the way she was. Conflicted between her anger because of your betrayal and he love for you and the need to bring you home.

"I'm not a stranger to the harm the Dark Lord's devotions can do when he calls upon you. But you hurt my cousin. My flesh and blood. I understood, but I couldn't forgive you. Part of me never will."

"You made that very clear a few months ago."

"My point, Nicholas, is you can't hide behind your wit and charm forever. Keeping something from someone - no matter if you think it is for their own good - will end badly. Very badly." Ambrose patted Nick's chest before standing. "I do hope this hasn't effectively ended our friendship."

Nick shook his head. "Nah, we're good."

* * *

_Three months ago_

He didn't know where to go. It was too late to go back to the Kinkles. He had no place to stay at the Academy. He needed to get out of that house. He needed to get away from the fighting. Given he was a major part of it, but he just couldn't take it anymore. Sabrina was in the middle of yelling at him when he grabbed his jacket and walked out the front door.

He had been sitting at Dorian's bar for an hour jow, just tossing back drink after drink. He hoped the alcohol would numb him to the world around him. He couldn't even remember why they were fighting. It started with his not wanting to talk about what he went through, then him lying to her. It got fuzzy after that. They were both shouting to the point Prudence and Hilda had to step between them.

"I should have known you'd be here," he heard her say.

Nick laughed, not turning his head to face her. "Of course you followed me. I say I want to be alone and you just do what you want," he said bringing the glass to his lips, "like always."

"Nick, maybe you've had enough to drink," Ambrose said.

Nick turned to see Ambrose standing a few feet away between them. "What? Couldn't find Zelda to tear me a new one?"

"No one's attacking you, Nick."

"That's right. And no one will, because I'm outta here." Nick finished his drink and stumbled off his bar stool.

"Nick, come on," Ambrose said as he stepped in front of Nick. "You need to sober up."

"Get out of my way, Ambrose." Nick tried to step around Ambrose, but he just blocked his way.

"No, you're in no condition to walk out of here on your own."

"Seriously, man, get the fuck out of my way."

Ambrose stood firm, getting face to face to Nick. There was something in Nick's eyes he didn't recognize. Something he never seen in him before. Despite that, he stood his ground. "Or what?"

Nick didn't know what came over him. He just felt anger rising in him. He felt his hand ball into a fist and suddenly it was swinging at Ambrose. The sober warlock dodged the punch and threw one that landed right on the right side of Nick's jaw. Nick stumbled a moment, rubbing the spot he had been hit.

"Nick, I….I'm so sorr…."

Before he could finish, Nick tackled him to the ground. Nick swung again, landing his punch on the right side of Ambrose's face. The two men were wrestling, knocking over stools and tables in their path. Ambrose somehow got on top of Nick and threw punch after punch as Nick, protected himself.

"Stop it!" Sabrina screamed as she grabbed hold of Ambrose's arm to keep him from continuing pummeling Nick. "Leave him alone," she cried. "Please. Stop hurting him."

Ambrose took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He slowly got off of Nick. The beaten warlock rolled onto his side, holding his head. Sabrina hurried to his side, trying to evaluate the damage done.

Ambrose pulled his cousin to her feet and away from Nick. "If you _ever_ hurt my cousin, Scratch, no being in Heaven, Hell, or Earth will stop me from killing you."

* * *

"I'm so sorry about my aunt," Sabrina sighed as she pulled the covers back on her bed. She cradled the phone on her shoulder as she got under the covers.

"Don't worry about it. I've accepted the fact that she hates me and one day plans on turning me into a toad," Nick joked as he undressed.

"I wish you would have come back here."

Nick paused, recalling his conversation with Ambrose earlier. "I don't think it would have been a good idea. Next time, babe." Nick got into his bed, laying back with his phone to his ear.

"What are you doing?"

"Not touching myself, that's for sure."

Sabrina laughed. "What am I going to do with you, Nicholas Scratch."

"Very naughty things I hope."

"Very tempting."

They were both silent for a moment. "I want you to know, if you aren't ready, truly ready, I won't push it. We talked about some pretty heavy stuff today."

Sabrina nodded as if he could see her. "I know. I wish I could have been there to take the pain away or at least make it easier."

"No. I wouldn't want you to have felt an ounce of that pain. What I went through….it does something to you. Something that never goes away." Nick's voice and thoughts drifted off.

"I do know what you meant though. About wanting to….you know and actually being ready." She turned to her side, facing where Nick would usually be in her bed. "How is it possible to miss someone so much? We saw each other a few hours ago."

Nick turned on his side in the same manner Sabrina had, facing her spot in his bed. "I know what you mean, Spellman. Get some sleep. You got school tomorrow."

"I was planning on playing hookie and seeing you."

"As much as I'd love that, you gotta go or your aunt would find out and kill me."

"Fine, leave me to rot at Baxter High."

"So dramatic."

"I do take classes." Nick laughed. "Don't forget prom is next week."

"I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world."

"Good. Ok, I better go since you're _making me_ go to school. Good night. I love you, Nick."

"I love you, Sabrina. Good night."

They hung up at the same time, drifting off into sleep wishing the other was there to hold them.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Hilda paced in their makeshift infirmary. With every moment that passed, she worried for her niece and her mortal friends. Despite the protests of the older Spellmans, they insisted on traveling to the Pit. To make matters worse, Ambrose and Prudence took it upon themselves to capture Faustus Blackwood. If there were any more cunning and manipulative warlock, Hilda never wanted to meet them.

It had been days since the younger generation ventured into the deep. She tried not to think about what horrors they could be facing. She didn't have time. She had to stay vigilant should they arrive and need her. If they arrived at all…. Hilda shook the thought from her mind. They would return and in one piece.

Suddenly, there was a pop and Sabrina appeared with Ambrose and a unconscious Nick in his arms. Another pop and Prudence arrived with Roz, followed by Zelda, Harvey, and Theo. Each one of them covered in dirt, soot, and blood.

"Auntie! Hurry, we need help," Sabrina said frantically.

Hilda stared in shock at the sight of Nick. His skin was pale, sweat dripping from his face. The worst of it all, chunks of his skin looked like they had been sliced off.

"Dear Lilith," she breathed as she quickly cleared the table. "Ambrose, bring him here quickly." Ambrose put Nick down on the table as gently as possible, but it was clear that every little movement shot excruciating pain through his body. "Dear boy, who did this to you?" Hilda asked as she pushed back Nick's hair. She pulled her hand back quickly, feeling the heat emanating from Nick's body.

Everyone looked at each other as of they knew something she didn't.

"There's no time for that right now, Hilda," Zelda interjected. "You need to treat him quickly before we lose him and all this will have been for nothing." Zelda grabbed a washcloth and began to rub the dirt from her face as she headed for the door, reaching for something in her pocket.

"Zelds? Where are you going?"

"Hilda! Tend to boy!"

"Right," Hilda said softly. "Ambrose, get me some bandages and a basin of fresh water. He has a bloody fever. That means he has an infection somewhere. We need to clean all the wounds if we mean to contain…." Hilda gasped as she opened Nick's shirt and saw the deep gash in his chest. The skin surrounding the wound was a greyish blue color, Nick's veins a prominent navy blue. "What….what did this?" No one answered. "I asked a bloody question!"

"The Dark Lord, Auntie. He used….he used the Dagger of Dawn," Ambrose stuttered.

Hilda looked at him as if he had just spoken another language. She shook her head hurrying back to clean Nick's wounds as her hands quivered. She said a prayer in her head, hoping she could handle all that was ahead of her.

"You need to leave, the lot of you, except Ambrose," Hilda said, pointing at her nephew. "I may need your...expertise."

"What? No, I'm not leaving Nick," Sabrina said firmly.

"Sabrina, this is not a negotiation. You, most of all, _cannot _be in here."

Sabrina moved forward to plead her case, but Prudence grabbed her arm. "Sabrina, she's right. You can't be in her," she said. "I want Nick to be well too, but we would just get in the way. Come now, we'll stay with you."

Sabrina looked over at her fellow witch. Sometimes she forgot that Prudence actually cared for other people. She had known Nick for a long time and the look on her face told Sabrina she was worried and terrified for him as well. She gave Prudence a look as if to ask for permission to say goodbye to Nick. Once her arm was free, Sabrina walked over to Nick and kissed his forehead.

"Hold on, Nick," she begged. "Please don't leave me. Just hold on a little longer."

Rozalind and Harvey came to her as the tears began to fall. They walked her out of the room, enveloping her in a hug as the doors closed behind them and her knees gave in. She prayed to Satan. To Lilith. To God himself. She didn't care who answered her prayer as long as they saved Nick.

On the other side of the doors, Hilda was quickly wiping the blood from the various wounds on Nick's body. She didn't know how to feel in that moment. She wanted to be upset with him for hurting her niece, for all the pain he had put her sweet Sabrina through. Looking at him now, despite the stubble on his cheeks, he looked like a boy. She forgot how young Nicholas actually was. He was a child and they had sliced into him like a pie.

She could feel tears in her eyes. "Who would do this to him?" she asked angrily. "What monster would do such a thing to a child?!"

"Auntie Hilda," Ambrose said in a soft tone as he walked toward her, "it was Uncle Edward."

* * *

Hilda tossed the blood soaked cloth into the growing pile and wiped the sweat from her brow. She and Ambrose worked tirelessly on Nick for hours. His infection had at least stopped spreading and his fever stable. There were times Hilda feared the worse. Nick would stop breathing, his lips turning blue as his face got even paler. They would need to resuscitate him before they could continue. She would need to apply potions and salves every few hours on the wounds where the runes had been to try to get the flesh and skin to regrow. Even then, he would be left with scars to remind him of what he went through.

The wound on his chest, however, was a different story. Much like when Ambrose had been attacked by the witch hunters, the wound was inflicted by a blade from the False God. The Dagger of Dawn, she had thought, was only a myth. She had heard stories of what it could do to those it inflicted pain upon. She hoped that the herbs and potions she used would keep Nick alive for now, but she knew he needed more. She headed to the sink to wash the blood from her hands. Already she could see blood seeping from the various bandages on the warlock's body.

They had cleaned his body of the dirt and soot. He looked more like the Nick that did not hesitate to trap the Dark Lord to keep the end of days from beginning. He laid on a bed covered in soft white sheets. He looked peaceful as he slept. It was probably the first sleep in a year he didn't have to worry about someone or something trying to kill him.

She took a deep breath before stepping out of the roo. She was immediately greeted by her niece, who looked just as terrible as Nick had.

"How is he?" Sabrina asked immediately. She was trying to look around her aunt, hoping to catch a glance at Nick. "Is he ok? Can I see him?"

"Hey, hey Sabrina," Hilda said as she put her hands on her niece's arms. She suddenly realized Nick's blood soaked parts of her shirt. "Darling, we need to talk before you see him."

She led her niece over to the couch and sat her down. Sabrina knew something was wrong. If everything was ok, she would have been allowed to see Nick already.

"Sabrina," Hilda said in a soft but shaky voice. "Nicholas id recovering, but….Sabrina, he's lost a lot of blood. He's still bleeding now. I've done all I can for now."

"What….what are you trying to say, Auntie?" She could feel the tears stinking her eyes. Roz and Prudence were behind her now, a hand on each shoulder as they cried for both Sabrina and Nick as well. "Is….is he going to die?"

Hilda tried to force a smile, but it was useless. "We'll be lucky if he survives the night," she admitted.

The cry that came from Sabrina was heart shattering. It was close to the sound Zelda had made when they were told their beloved brother, Edward had died, but the sound from Sabrina was more pained. The young witched collapsed into a fit of tears. Her friends tried to comfort her, but it seemed fruitless.

"Sabrina," Hilda said sitting her niece up straight. "Listen to me now, Sabrina. It is very important that you be the strongest you have ever been now. This goes for all of you." Hilda looked around the room at the sullen faces. "Nick needs us now more than ever. If he's going to get through this, we need to support him. Is that understood?" They all nodded. "Good. Now, wipe your faces. No tears. Ready, Sabrina?"

Sabrina nodded. Hilda helped her to her feet and walked her to the door. She gave Sabrina a supportive squeeze of her arm before the younger witch slipped into the room Nick was resting in.

The first thing Sabrina saw was the piles of towels and bandages soaked in blood. How could he have lost so much blood and still be alive? Ambrose stood over Nick's motionless body, his hands hovering over him as he muttered a spell. He let out a sigh and leaned leaned against the edge of the table.

Sabrina walked over to where Nick lay. Ambrose looked up at her, giving her a weak smile. "Cousin," he said softly. He reached out to her, giving her hand a squeeze. "He's as comfortable as he can be right now."

"Did you put him under a sleeping spell?" Sabrina asked as she stroked Nick's hair.

Ambrose shook his head. "That would be nature taking its course. I finally got the wounds along his collar, on his legs, and back to cauterize. He has a fresh bandage on his chest. But, I think the best medicine he can use right now, is some time alone with you.." Ambrose kissed his cousin's forehead before leaving the room.

The room was completely silent. In the movies there was always a monitor beeping in the background. That would have been a welcome sound right about now. She reached down and took his hand in hers. She gave it a squeeze, part of her hoping he would squeeze back like in the movies. But nothing came but the tears in her eyes. Why did he have to be so stupid? Why did he have to do what he did?

_I did it for you, Spellman_, Nick's voice said in her head. _I would do anything for you._

Sabrina gently climbed into the bed with Nick. If tonight was his last night, she would be there with him. She placed her head on his chest opposite from his wound and listened to his heart beat. She expected it to be strong and steady, but it was barely there. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the last time she laid with him like this.

Nick was going through her phone, teasing her as he found her guilty pleasure playlist. _Oh Spellman….this is bad, _he laughed. _This song is so sappy that you can turn it into maple syrup. _

_Shut up! _Sabrina laughed as she tried to take the phone back. _So I like romantic indie songs. I __**am**__ a teenager._

_You never stop surprising me, Spellman._

Sabrina closed her eyes as she put her hand over Nick's bandage, but she dare not sleep in case the worst happened. She started to hum a tune. He mocked her for the song, but it seemed to fit it the moment. She kept her eyes closed as she started to sing and tears still managed to escape. "_And while there's something to talk about. And while there's something to say. I promise you. I won't be gone on the day the dance is over. I will be your song. Keep holding on. On the day that the dance is over. I will be your song._"

* * *

It became a routine for Hilda to find Sabrina laying with Nick every morning when she came to tend to him. She barely left his side, fearful that if she did when she returned he would not be breathing. Others came to see Nick as well, Roz, Theo, Prudence and her sisters, Ambrose, even Dorian came to wish well thoughts to the warlock. Mostly they came to check on Sabrina and be sure she was eating.

"Why don't we go to Dr. Cee's and get a burger?" Roz suggested.

"I can't," Sabrina simply said. "Nick had a bad night. I need to be here just in case…."

"In case something happens, I know," Roz sighed. "Brina, I get that you're worried about him but you need to take care of yourself too. You look like you're barely sleeping."

"I'll sleep more once he's ok. I just need to be here for him. Every night can be his last and I….I need as many with him as I can."

"That's another thing. Sabrina, what's going to happen when he wakes up? You keep talking about being here for him if he doesn't wake up, but what if he does?"

It suddenly hit Sabrina, she didn't know how to answer. She had been so worried about Nick not waking up, she didn't know how it would go if he did. She was still upset with him for lying to her. She definitely did not trust him like she used to.

"What would you do?" Sabrina asked.

"Well," Roz said as she sat next to her friend, "if it were me, I would tell him I'm glad he's better but we need to talk about everything that happened. How are you feeling….about everything?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I was so upset with him when everything happened. I felt….betrayed. i want to be mad at him still. I want to be able to feel angry at him for lying to me. But right now, knowing he's fighting for his life…." Sabrina had to pause. "All I want is for him to come back to me."

"Do you love him, Sabrina?"

She nodded. "More than anything or….anyone I ever have."

"Then when he wakes up, do whatever it takes to fix this. He did a shitty thing lying to you, but the man loves you. He gave his life for you. He's fighting for that life now. When he comes back to you, fight for him."

* * *

"Honestly, Nick, your hair is just out of control," Sabrina said aloud. She knew he wouldn't answer. It had been weeks since they returned and he still hadn't woken. His body was healing, but he still hadn't come back to her. In the last two weeks, she found herself talking to out loud. It made her feel better. She just couldn't stand the silence anymore.

Today she decided to cut his hair and trim his facial hair. It had started to grow long and wasn't sure if she liked it. She was sure not to move him too much so not to cause him any pain.

"I gotta tell you, the beard doesn't look _terrible. _I mean, I wouldn't be mad if you kept it. But I'll leave it up to you." Sabrina finished his hair cut and held a mirror up to him. "What do you think? Not even a thank you? Manners Mr. Scratch."

She put the scissors away and gathered the towel she used to catch the hair she cut. She readjusted his pillows to make him more comfortable. She placed a hand on his cheek. She was beginning to lose hope he would open his eyes. She wanted to cry, but she had shed too many already.

She let out a sigh and was pulling her hand back when she felt another hand gently holding it. Her heart quickened when she realized that it was Nick's. Her eyes travelled back to his face to see a pair of brown eyes staring back at her. His hand left hers, but she couldn't leave his gaze. she could feel the warmth of his hand on her cheek, wiping away the tear that had escaped.

She pulled away from his touch without even realizing it. "I'll….I'm going to get my Aunt Hilda," she said softly.

For the first time in weeks, she left the room, Nick's hand still reaching out to where he had touched her face.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"You just _left_ him there?" Roz asked in disbelief.

"I didn't know what to do," Sabrina replied.

"Um. You could have, I don't know, _stayed?!_"

"I wanted to!"

"Then why didn't you?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Theo interrupted. "Im sorry, are we just forgiving Nick for lying to you? Like, I get he went to Hell, totally cool. But he got you in the situation in the first place."

"Did he though?" Harvey asked. "The path was laid out. Ms. Ward….I mean, Lilith was really the one that made sure she was on it."

"But Nick _kept_ her on it. You guys think we should just forgive him?"

"I don't think we should punish him forever for making a mistake," Roz said. "We all make mistakes. But he was in hell for a year. If he wasn't sorry for what he did, he wouldn't have did what he had. I'm not saying we can't be upset, because I don't like people messing with Sabrina, but we have to at least give him a chance."

The trio began arguing, talking over each other wanting their point to be heard. Sabrina sighed and slipped out of the booth. Her friends were so busy arguing, they didn't notice she was leaving. Just as she stepped out of the shop, she ran right into Prudence.

"Prudence! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," she said. "I'm surprised to see you here. You never come to Dr. Cee's."

"Ambrose requested a milkshake," Prudence explained. "Who am I to deny him of a pleasure he desires?"

"Right….well, I'm just going to…."

"Besides, I couldn't stand seeing Nicky the way he is."

Sabrina sighed. "He is pretty beat up still. But now that he's awake, Aunt Hilda said he can eat and hopefully…."

"He refuses."

Sabrina was taken back. "Did you say he's refusing to eat?"

"And speak."

"Well, maybe he just can't yet."

Prudence rolled her eyes. "Sabrina, I have known Nick for a _very _long time. I know when he is simply just doing something to prove a point."

"And what point would he be trying to make?"

"Really, Sabrina? You cannot be this dense." Prudence let out a sigh. "He will only speak to you. You were the first thing he saw when he came back to this world. He probably has so much to tell you and you just walked out on him. And you call me cold hearted."

* * *

Nick sat silently in his bed as Hilda changed the dressings on his wound. She said it looked better, but her eyes told him she was lying. He already knew she was lying. He had seen the wound. Heaven he _felt_ the wound. It was slowly sucking the life out of him. He had accepted the fact that he would never truly heal. The Dagger of Dawn was a cursed blade. The potion he required included one ingredient he did not have.

For a week he sat, contemplating the fact that not only should he not have been alive, but there was a very likely chance he would die soon. He cheated death with each breath he took. He was in a race against time and the finish line was nearing. He settled back into his bed as Hilda announced she would let him get some rest. He shut his eyes as he tried to will himself back to sleep.

He was about to drift off when he felt something drop into his lap. He opened his eyes to see a grease stained brown paper bag sitting in his lap. He looked up and found a not very pleased Sabrina standing nearby.

"You need to eat," she said simply. "Whatever you're doing, stop it. If I have to force feed you myself, Nicholas Scratch, I will."

Nick opened the bag and pulled out a cheeseburger. Sabrina crossed her arms waiting for him to take a bite. He put the burger aside and folded his hands, resting them on his stomach.

Sabrina groaned, walking over and picking up the burger and holding it out to him. "I was serious. I'll shove this down your damn throat if you don't eat it." Nick continued to stare. He dared her to do something. Sabrina put the burger down. "Fine. Don't eat. I don't care." She turned to leave.

"You left," she heard him say. She turned to face him. "I opened my eyes and by some miracle, you were looking back at me. I thought I was so damn lucky. Then you left. For a week, people came and went. Your aunt, cousin, the Weird sisters….heaven even your mortal friends came. But not you. The one person I had something to say to refused to come."

"I never refused to come."

"Oh? Too far out of your way? Get lost getting here? I mean, I live 10 feet below you. I can see how hard the directions can be."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Something. Anything. Let's not pretend that this," Nick said pointing to the bandage on his chest, "isn't here. That it's not killing me. We both know it's just a matter of time before I die. I just couldn't die without seeing your face again. Hearing your voice. I love you, Sabrina. I need to tell you at least one more time. You don't need to say it back to me. You don't have to forgive me for what I did. You just need to know that I held on….I woke up to tell you I love you. I just need you to say something."

Sabrina stared at Nick. It was her turn to be silent. There were so many things she wanted to say to him now. She just wanted to grab his face and kiss him. Dear Lilith how badly she wanted to kiss him. Part of her had already forgiven him, but she still didn't trust him.

"You need to eat," she said softly. "Eat and we can talk." Nick nodded. "And shave off that beard. I can't stand it." she turned and headed for the door.

"I thought you said you wouldn't mind if I kept it," he called after her. Sabrina froze and looked back at him. "I thought you liked it."

Sabrina raised a brow. He heard her…. "I do. I never said that I couldn't stand it in a bad way."

Nick smirked at her and took a bite of his burger.

* * *

"I'm so sorry about earlier," Roz sighed into the phone. "We were so busy talking how we felt, we forgot to consider how you feel."

"Don't worry about it, Sabrina said as she got into bed. "You guys are just looking out for me."

"So….you saw him today?"

"I did."

"And how did it go?"

Sabrina shrugged. "Ok, I guess. I got him to eat and speak."

"Stubborn man that Nick Scratch."

"He is." Sabrina paused. "Hey Roz, did you guys visit him? Since he's been away I mean."

Roz was silent for a moment. "We did. It was when you first told us he woke up and before you told us you ditched him. We thought you would be there, so we wanted to go support you. We couldn't just leave when you weren't there so we stayed for like 10 minutes."

"And that was it?"

"Well…."

"Roz!"

"I went back on my own to tell him off for you. But then he was just sitting there, staring at me. I don't know how you resist him. Especially with that beard."

Sabrina sighed. "Yea, the beard is kinda sexy."

"I just felt bad for him. So I would read to him. He wouldn't say anything. Just sit there and smile or nod. His eyes would light up anytime I even said your name. They looked sad sometimes, but I think he just hoped you would show up."

"Well, thank you for visiting him."

"No problem. So what did you guys talk about?"

Before Sabrina could answer, a scream pierced the air. It was filled with pain and agony and coming from right below Sabrina.

"What was that?" Roz asked.

"I gotta go. I'll call you tomorrow," Sabrina said as she jumped out of her bed.

"Brina…."

Sabrina hung up before Roz could finish her sentence. She hurried down the stairs to the infirmary. Ambrose and Prudence were trying desperately to hold Nick down. His body was tense and his face scrunched in pain.

"What's going on? What's happening to him?!" Sabrina demanded to know.

"Cousin! Get Aunt Hilda! Hurry!" Ambrose yelled.

Sabrina turned and ran right into Hilda. "I heard the screaming," Hilda said as she hurried past her niece and to Nick's side. "What happened?"

"He was sleeping then his body started to shake," Prudence replied, her voice shaking.

Hilda touched Nick's sweating forehead. "The bloody fever is back," she sighed.

"Why? He hasn't had a fever in weeks," Sabrina said.

Hilda shook her head. "I wish I knew. Pray to Lilith the o fection isn't back. Prudence, Sabrina, go get the herbs in the pantry with Nick's name on it."

"Which ones?" Prudence asked.

"All of them." Hilda turned her attention back to Nick. "Shhh now. Calm down, Nicholas. You're going to be just fine."

Prudence let go of Nick, grabbing Sabrina by the arm and leading her out of the room.

"What happened back there?" Sabrina asked.

"Just help me get what your aunt needs," Prudence said.

"Are you going to tell me what's happening to Nick?"

"Sabrina, we need to get…."

"Not until someone tells me what's going on!"

"He's dying! You stupid, dense girl, Nick is _dying._" Prudence closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. "That blade the Dark Lord used to cut him inflicted an infection that will spread until it has killed him. Your aunt can rub as many herbs on him and have him drink as many potions as she desires to slow the process, but it will only do that. Slow the process. His time on this earth draws close to an end."

"There has to be something we can do. We have to….to…."

"To what half-breed? Not even your magic can save him." Prudence shoved vials into Sabrina's hands and pushed past her.

Sabrina knew Prudence was just scared. She knew Nick for a long time. They were friends. To lose him, just like so many others in her life, must have been taking a toll on her.

Hilda made quick work of the ingredients the two witches brought her. Sabrina sat outside the room, waiting not so patiently for someone to tell her how Nick was. She had never been so conflicted in her life. She was still upset with Nick, but she couldn't bare to lose him without fixing things. The room had finally gone silent. Nick's agonizing screams subsided. So why hadn't they come to tell her he was ok?

Sabrina cracked the door open slightly. Nick was resting now. His chest rose and fell with each heavy breath he took. Hilda and Ambrose stood at a table on the other side of the room.

"He's only getting worse, Auntie," Ambrose stated. "He just had a heart attack with no warning. If I had not been here, he would be gone."

"Then thank Lilith you were," Hilda said.

"Auntie…."

"Ambrose, I just need more time."

"We don't _have _more time. Agatha and Dorcas return with the exotic ingredients within a day, but it won't be enough. They're useless without…."

"I know, Ambrose. I know the clock ticks away with his bloody life. I'm doing all I can for him. I just can't give up on him." Hilda was shaking. From sadness and frustration for Nick or Sabrina, she wasn't sure. She just knew that she couldn't let Nick die.

Ambrose put his arm around her aunt in an attempt to comfort her. "You've done your best. But Nick is the last of the Scratch line. He has no blood relatives. No matter what we do, it will be pointless. It's a matter of time before his entire body shuts down. There's nothing we can do about that, Auntie."

Sabrina quietly shut the door and ran back up to her room. This had to be a nightmare. There's no way fate could be so cruel. They just saved him. He just woke up. But of course it was really happening. It was no nightmare. It was Lucifer's final torture he needed to inflict on the warlock….and Sabrina. He never intended to bind himself to Nick again to keep him from Sabrina. He wanted a more permanent means to separate the young lovers. He intended to make Sabrina watch Nick die.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Nick stared at himself in the mirror. Ever since his time in Hell, he didn't care much for shaving. He did, however, get pretty good at it. He splashed some water on his face and wiped it with a face towel before heading to his room. Sabrina was over by the TV putting a blu-ray into the player.

"I picked a good one. I think you'll really like it," she said as she headed over to his bed.

"What's this one about?" He asked as he laid back in his bed.

"These teenagers date over the summer and they're torn apart because they come from different backgrounds. He goes off to the war and writes to her everyday but she never writes back. Years later they find each other again and fall back in love."

"What's it called?"

"The Notebook." Sabrina climbed into Nick's bed, settling in beside him.

"What does anything you just said have to do with a notebook?"

"It….the notebook is….you know what, just watch it."

"Babe, let's be honest," Nick said as he put his arm around her. "The movie was pretense to get you here. We both know in five minutes we're going to be making out and won't even know the TV is on."

Sabrina smiled. "You think you're _so _slick."

"I don't think. I know," he grinned as he leaned down to kiss her. "See. Movie isn't even on and we're already making out."

"Shut up and kiss me," Sabrina commanded as she pulled him back down to her, her lips finding his once more.

Before things could get more intense, there was a knock at the door. Nick pulled back and whispered, "Maybe if we're quiet they won't know we're here."

"Nick, you in there?" Mr. Kinkle's voice asked from the other side of the door.

Nick sighed and rolled off of Sabrina. "Yes sir," he replied.

The door opened and Mr. Kinkle stuck his head in the room. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to bother you two, but I wanted to let you know I brought some dinner home for you boys."

"It's greatly appreciated, sir. Thank you."

Mr. Kinkle nodded as he looked down. "And, uh, I know you're both consenting adults and all, but let's try to remember the rule about having the door open when we have….company over."

Nick shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, sir. Sorry, I forgot."

Mr. Kinkle nodded. "Sabrina, nice to see you."

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Kinkle." Harvey's dad left the room with the door open. Sabrina turned to Nick and whispered, "What was that?"

"Well after what happened, Mr. Kinkle prefer that doors stay open when we have you ladies over," Nick explained.

"After what happened?"

Nick looked over at Sabrina and raised a brow. "With Harvey and Roz." Her expression still showed confusion. "You don't know?"

"No. What…." Nick stared at her with a knowing look. "No!" He grinned and nodded. "Oh my Lilith. He caught them?!"

"Yup. He came home one afternoon and walked in on them. I can't believe you didn't know."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"I'm not a mortal teenage girl. I don't gossip."

"Were you home when….it happened?"

"Right here in this bed. It couldn't have been too crazy. I didn't hear a sound. I did hear the scolding though. Mr. Kinkle something about being responsible and respectful. He, uh, said he should be more like….me."

Sabrina laughed. "Why?"

"Because I don't….have sex."

"Oh."

"It's nothing personal. He just doesn't want any….accidents. Harvey is really adamant about going to college, his dad just doesn't want anything to rethink his decision to leave. He finally got over the idea that Harvey won't be working in the mines."

"Does it bother you that we haven't….you know….since our talk?" She asked honestly.

Nick put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. "No," he replied. "Since I got back, it's been me holding back. I just needed to be sure with all the cards on the table, you were 100% ready. I honestly wasn't for a while there."

"And now?"

"Now I'm ready when you are. No pressure."

Sabrina smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "How did I get so lucky?"

"Luck had nothing to do with this, Spellman. This was hard fought."

* * *

Nick stared out at the Spellman Cemetery. He wondered where they would bury him when his time came. Would they try to lay him to rest beside his mother and father in Ireland? Would they bury him here in Greendale? Would they ask him what he wanted? He doubted the last question. No one seemed to want to come to terms his young life would cease soon, probably for Sabrina's sake. He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, taking in the cold autumn air.

He was at the Spellman Mortuary for his weekly "check up." Hilda, bless her heart, was a sweet woman that treated him with care and compassion. Nick knew she disapproved of him before, but her mood changed after having his life in her hands. His parents had died when he was barely old enough to remember their faces. He didn't know his mother, but he hoped she was as kind and loving as Hilda. She was a mother with no child, so it was natural she would gravitate to a child with no mother. She did her best to slow the process, knowing she could not stop the endgame.

He could hear footsteps approaching against the wood deck. He opened his eyes, somewhat surprised to see Sabrina standing a foot away with two cups. They hadn't spoken much since he moved into the Kinkle home. They talked about working on things, but after the last fight they kept their distance.

"I brought you some hot chocolate," she said as she held a mug out to him.

Nick reached out of the warm cup. "Thanks," he said.

She took a seat on the bench with him, leaving some space between them. "It's chilly today." Nick nodded. "Aunt Hilda said your healing nicely."

"I guess. Got some scarring where the runes were. Not huge, but they're there."

"That's good they aren't huge." Nick took a deep breath. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"Do what?"

"Force small talk."

"I'm not forcing small talk. I really do want to know how you are."

"Oh you do? Well, what did you want to talk about? The fact that I'm forced to live with a mortal, who happens to by _your_ ex lover?"

"He wasn't my lo…."

"_Or_ the fact that everyone is terrified of me? Maybe we can discuss how the last time we 'talked,' you stormed off because you didn't want to hear the truth."

"I 'stormed off' because you seem to have accepted the fact that there's no way to completely heal your wound."

"Because there's not, Sabrina! There's no point in pretending there is."

She stayed calm though he was visibly upset. He pretended that he accepted his fate, but she knew him better than that. She knew he was scared.

"Nick, I'm not trying to upset you," she said softly. "I just think we need to look into this more. There aren't a lot of books on the Dagger. I'm not giving up and neither should you."

Nick shrugged. "I learned not to get my hopes up. If it's my time, it's my time."

Sabrina bit her bottom lip. She felt selfish to want him to fight. He had been fighting for his life nonstop for over a year. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight, she realized. He was tired. She put her hand over his, giving it a squeeze.

"If it is your time, I'd like to spend whatever is left with you," she said in the steadiest voice she could muster.

He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it softly and giving it a comforting squeeze. She put his arm around her, nestling into his side.

"I've missed you," she said softly. "I need you to know, I want to trust you again. I want us to be ok."

"I want that too. I don't expect you to just forgive me. I just want you to know how sorry I am for what I did."

"I know you are. I've been selfish. I want to be mad because of what you did, but I haven't really thought about what you went through. But we can talk about all that later. Right now, I want to sit out here with my boyfriend and drink some hot chocolate."

Nick grinned. "So I'm still your boyfriend?"

"Of course you are."

"Well, that's definitely something worth fighting for."

* * *

Ambrose sighed as he slammed another book shut. "Weeks of research, endless piles of books, interviewing scholars and holy and unholy members of different churches, and still I find myself no closer to an answer than the day I began," he groaned.

"Perhaps you're thinking too much about this," Prudence said as she laid Judas in his bed.

"I don't see how that's possible. Everything calls for the blood of the infected's family. Because Nick was an only child and an orphan, unless he sired secret children, he won't survive much longer."

Prudence picked up one of the books Ambrose had been looking through and skimmed the pages. "We will find something, Ambrose. I know we will."

Ambrose slouched in a chair, rubbing his temples as he shut his eyes. "Your positivity is encouraging."

"Well sometimes one must look beyond what they can see."

Ambrose's eyes flew open. "That's it."

"What is?"

He jumped to his feet, scrambling through his papers and the piles of books until he found a leather bound journal. "One day when Nick was delirious for the potions and medications Aunt Hilda gave him, he started rambling on about something. I thought he was talking nonsense." He flipped through the journal until he found the passage he was looking for. "He kept saying to win you play all the cards, including the ones not in the deck. Here. My Uncle Edward says something similar." Ambrose handed the journal to Prudence.

"To deceive the greatest deceiver, play the odds to your favor," she read aloud. "I don't understand."

"Loopholes. Nick said my uncle was trying to cross into mortal limbo. He also suggested that he may be Sabrina's father as well as the Dark Lord. Edward Spellman was far to smart for his own good. He could have found ways to trick even the master of lies. He would give you the illusion of victory while he walked away with the grand prize.

"The potion that is to cure Nick demands the blood of unconditional love such as the False God's virgin had for their son. But Joseph was not Jesus's blood and loved him as a father would a son. Your sisters, they are not your blood but they are your sisters."

"Not all family is blood."

"Exactly! It's a long shot, but I think _we _can save Nick."

"We?"

"Sabrina, you, me, the mortals….we risked our lives by venturing into the Pit to save him. We are his family. We can save him, Prudence."

Prudence shook her head. "And what if it doesn't work? What if this idea….this far fetched, insane, reaching idea is wrong?"

Ambrose's eyes darted through the pages of the journal. "Then we very well may kill him."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Sabrina watched Nick as he slept. One of his arms was bent, tucked comfortably under his head as the other draped over her waist. He always looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. For months, he feared sleep. The demons of his past came to haunt him in his dreams. Slowly the nightmares subsided. Mostly when she lay beside him.

She put her hand on his chest, feeling as it rose and fell with each breath he took. She could feel his heart beating steadily. She spent countless nights doing this same motion, only several months ago it was to be sure his heart did not suddenly stop. It had a few times. She would scream in horror realizing her boyfriend may have died in her bed. But Hilda and Ambrose always brought him back to her.

She placed a soft kiss on his lips before trying to slip out of the bed. The moment she did, she felt his arm tighten around her.

"Where are you going?" Nick mumbled in his sleep, his eyes still shut.

"Shh. Go back to sleep," she said quietly as she slipped out from his grasp. "I'll see you in the morning."

His eyes opened slowly, still heavy with sleep. "Stay the night," he pleaded.

"My aunts might look for me in the morning."

He grabbed her hand and looked up at her. "Please?"

She found it extremely difficult to say no to him. She didn't want to leave in the first place. She gave in, settling back into the bed and wrapped herself in his embrace. He pulled her close, kissing her hair as he drifted back to sleep. She tried to get comfortable, but something kept her from doing so.

"What is in this bed?" Sabrina asked aloud. "Is it the remote?"

She reached behind her, grabbing whatever it was pressed into her back. Nick's eyes flew open.

"Whoa Spellman!" he gasped.

Sabrina pulled her hand back immediately. "Oh my….was that your….oh Lilith."

"Not Lilith, that was all me."

Sabrina covered her face, knowing it had to be at least 5 shades of red. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to….why were you…."

"It's three in the morning. I was having a good dream. Need I go on?" Nick rolled onto his back and chuckled. "Well, I'm up. Pun very much intended."

"I'm _so_ sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"Actually, you have a very gentle grasp. It was very nice," he teased. She laughed and swatted at his chest. He pushed himself up to a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before swinging his feet over the side of the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To take a cold shower."

Sabrina covered her face, embarrassed by what she had done. She wasn't sure why she was so embarrassed. She had purposely tried to excite him before. She had seduced him to the point he needed to talk a walk or cold shower to calm himself. Perhaps because it was unintentional this time. Or the fact they decided to wait. She could hear the water running across the hall. After a few minutes, Nick returned with just a towel wrapped around his waist.

"I'll go grab...I mean get something to drink while you get dressed," she stuttered.

She hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. On her way to the kitchen, she ran into Roz who was coming down the stairs.

"Oh, Brina," Roz said, a little surprised to see her friend. "I didn't know you were here."

"Hey Roz. Nick and I were watching a movie earlier and we fell asleep."

"And where is the handsome Mr. Scratch now?"

"In the room. He had to take a shower after I accidentally grabbed….him."

Roz's jaw dropped with a hint of a smile behind it. "You did not!" Sabrina laughed and nodded. "How do you 'accidentally' grab….that?"

"Something was pressing into my back and I thought it was the remote."

"Oh, Sabrina. You are something else." The pair headed to the kitchen. Sabrina sat at the table as Roz grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and poured them some water. "So you two are doing ok?"

"We are. He's been opening up about a lot of stuff. Not just about being in Hell, but more about his life and family. Apparently, his dad taught at the Academy with my dad."

"Really? Were they friends?"

Sabrina nodded. "They were friends. With Father Blackwood too. Supposedly, Blackwood was really mad when Nick's father supported my dad's bid for High Priest. They stayed friends, but something was different."

"He must have taken your parents' death hard."

"He did. Nick said his dad became really paranoid, swearing my parents dying was no accident. The Weird Sisters told Nick his dad would lock himself in his office and never let his mom leave Nick's side."

"How'd they die?"

"Car crash. They were hit by a drunk driver. If Nick hadn't been in a carseat, he would have died too. Nick says that's why he prefers to teleport over driving a car. I don't think he even knows how to drive a car."

"Can't blame him there. It must have been hard to lose his parents and not have anyone growing up. At least he has you now though."

"Yea, he does," Sabrina smiled. "How are things with you and Harvey?"

"They're good. He's waiting to hear back from the Pratt Institute."

"That's awesome!"

"Yea, yea it is," Roz said a little less enthusiastically.

"Everything ok?"

Roz sighed. "We're graduating soon. If he gets into the Pratt Institute, he'll have to move to New York. Everywhere I applied to….is not in New York. We haven't talked about what's going to happen after we graduate."

"What do you want?"

Roz shrugged. "I don't want to break up, but a long distance relationship isn't something I ever thought I would have."

"And how does he feel about it?"

"I don't know. Anytime I bring it up, he changes the subject. I know we need to talk about it, but how do you get him to talk about something he obviously doesn't want to?"

"Lay it out for him, Roz. Let him know you know it's hard to talk about, but it needs to be."

"Sabrina?" Nick called as he walked into the kitchen. "Are you coming back to bed?"

"Of course," Sabrina smailed. She stood and gave Roz's hand a squeeze. "We'll talk more later. About this and why there's an open door rule now."

Roz looked over at Nick quickly, "You told her?!"

* * *

Nick walked into Dr. Cerberus's shop and glanced at his watch. He was supposed to meet Sabrina 10 minutes ago at the movie theater, but she called and told him to meet her at the shop. Still, she hadn't arrived. He looked around hoping he hadn't missed Sabrina and spotted Theo instead.

"Hey Theo," he greeted as he walked up to the booth Theo was in. For some reason, it took Theo by surprise and made him jump. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You ok?"

"Oh, no. I mean, yea," Theo stuttered. "I'm….I'm ok I mean. You didn't scare me."

"I was meeting Sabrina, but she's running late. Mind if I join you?"

Theo shook his head. "Not at all. Take a seat."

Nick slipped into the booth across from Theo. He always liked Theo. He was a bold and brave mortal, not caring what the world thought of him. In a town like Greendale, to declare you were a man trapped in a woman's body wasn't easy. Nick imagined it wasn't an easy thing to do anywhere. But he understood what it was to be trapped in a body foreign to you, even if the body was your own. He understood the importance of being who you really were despite all obstacles.

"You looked deep in thought. Got something on your mind?" Nick asked.

"Sorta," Theo replied. He let out a sigh. "We're graduating soon and, naturally, I've been thinking a lot about my future. If I leave after we graduate, I'd be the first Putnam to go to college. I'll be the _only_ Putnam that will ever have gone...and the last."

"I'm assuming you don't have any cousins."

Theo shook his head. "My dad and Uncle Jesse were the last of the Putnam men. If I had died when we were rescuing you, he would be alone and eventually the Putnam name would die out. Then it hit me….there can't be anymore Putnams. Not….not since I decided I was going to be Theo."

"Oh," was all Nick could say, realizing what Theo was getting at.

"I don't regret my decision," Theo said immediately. "I feel like me as Theo. But once I transition, I won't be able to have kids. That means the name dies with me. All anyone will remember the Putnam name for is for being farmers."

Nick stared at Theo for a moment. "I'm not going to pretend to have the right answer for you, Theo. There really isn't one. We have to make really difficult decisions in life and we're left to wonder what could have been in their wake. You can't dwell in it. This, who you are, who you know yourself to be, that's more important than some name. I understand your need to carry on your family name. I'm the last of the Scratches and I'm fucking that name up pretty bad. Just know it's just a name. Leave your legacy by changing the world. Making a difference. Like your Aunt Dorthera. That's what matters."

"What difference have I made though?"

"Well, you helped save me for one."

Theo laughed. "I didn't help much. I carried a gun and fired when something came close."

"I'm here aren't I? Remember when that horde almost caught up with us and you shot that gargoyle dead in the eye? You slowed him down. I promise you, if you hadn't, we wouldn't have escaped."

"That was cool wasn't it?"

Nick laughed. "Hey, that shit was awesome. You're a good guy, Theo. I'm sure you'll find a way to be sure the Putnam name lives on. I'll definitely remember it."

Theo smiled. "Thanks, Nick. That means a lot."

"Anytime. So, what colleges have you applied to?"

Theo was saying something, but Nick couldn't hear him. It was like he was listening from underwater. His vision was beginning to blur. He tried blinking a few times, but it didn't help. _Don't panic_, he told himself. A pain slowly started to creep up his chest, the pain stemming from his scar.

"Nick?" Theo's muffled voice called. "Hey, Nick, you ok? You don't look so good."

Nick opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He tried to inhale, but realized he couldn't. _Ok, __**now **__you can panic._ He tried to get to his feet, but his body wasn't responding. He finally managed to get out of the booth, but then the world spun and he was face down on the ground.

* * *

Sabrina did her best to stay calm, but it was extremely difficult when her boyfriend was dying. She was on her way to meet Nick when Theo called her. He told her they were talking and Nick started to struggle then just collapsed. Dr. Cee closed the shop and rushed him to the Spellman mortuary where Hilda worked her magic. But this time, she couldn't get the fever down. She couldn't get him stable.

His body was hot from the fever. His breath coming out is forceful huffs. The infection from the wound was only getting worse. Each time it struck, Nick's body struggled to recover. Pretty soon, he wouldn't. Sabrina squeezed Nick's hand, willing him to heal.

"Cousin," Ambrose called as he placed a hand on Sabrina's shoulder. "How is he?"

"I really wish I knew" Sabrina sighed. "His body finally stopped seizing, but his fever hasn't gone down at all. I don't know how much more he can take."

"I know he and I fought not long ago, but Nick….he is a good man. He's proven that to you and to us all. Myself included. He's strong, Sabrina. He fights on courageously."

"But for how much longer, Ambrose? I know I told him that if….when his time came, I would be by his side. But I can't accept that this is it. I just can't. We didn't go through all we did just for him to be taken away again."

Ambrose sighed. She wasn't looking at him, but he knew Sabrina was crying and it killed him. He had come up with an idea a while back, but was very hesitant to bring it to light. It was risky and if he was wrong, it could cost Nick his life. He once berated Sabrina for trying to manipulate the order of things, bending the rules to fit her will. Yet here he was, doing the same. For her of course. Ambrose knew from the moment he met his cousin he would do anything for her.

"Sabrina, I think I may have found a way to save Nicholas," Ambrose said.

She looked up at him quickly, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You did? How? What do we need to do?"

Ambrose pulled a chair up next to Sabrina. "Slow down a moment. Before we go on, you need to know that what we are going to attempt to do is risky. It will either heal Nick or…."

"Or what?"

"Or it will kill him. The thing about wounds from cursed blades, especially ones long standing as Nick's, are very fickle to cure. If you do not do things exactly right, it will not end well. I fear we have postponed this particular curse as long as we can. Nicholas is in the endgame now. By day's end tomorrow, if this does not work or if we do nothing, Nick will die."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Sabrina sat nervously in the den as her friends entered the room. She wasn't sure how they would react to her request. Other than Ambrose and Prudence, they barely knew Nick. Yet today, she would ask all those who ventured into the Pit with her to help her save Nick once more. Possibly the last time.

"What's going on, Brina? You sounded nervous on the phone," Harvey said.

"Is it Nick? Is he ok?" Theo asked.

"Actually, he isn't," Sabrina said. "The infection is spreading quickly. His fever won't break and he's getting weaker. Breathing is becoming a chore for him." She paused and took a breath. "Ambrose thinks….he thinks this could be the end."

"Oh, Brina," Roz sympathized. "If there's anything we can do, we're here for you."

Sabrina looked over at Ambrose. He nodded before she continued. "Actually, there might be something you guys _can_ do."

"The blade the Dark Lord pierced Nick with is said to have been the blade the False God used to carve Adam and Lilith from clay," Ambrose explained. "Before he banished Lucifer from the heavens, he bestowed the dagger to him as a thank you of sorts for his service in his Great Army. As the Dark Lord fell from grace, the blade became cursed. Any wound inflicted could only be healed by the one thing the Dark Lord never understood."

"Love," Sabrina continued. "It is an emotion that is foreign to witches and warlocks. Only the purest, most unselfish kind of love could heal him. The kind between brothers or sisters. The love family has for each other."

"I'm sorry. I'm not following. What does this have to do with us?" Harvey asked.

"They need _us_ to save Nick, mortal," Prudence said as she rolled her eyes.

"More specifically….your blood," Ambrose said. "An offering to show we would give ourselves to save him. Just a few drops should suffice….hopefully."

"But we don't love him," Theo said. "I mean….not to sound rude, he's cool and all, but we barely know him."

"Yes, but you risked your lives for him."

"We did it for Sabrina," Harvey said.

"Guys, I know this is a long shot," Sabrina said, "but we have to try something. We're the closest thing he has to a family."

"I'll do it, Roz said.

"What? Are you serious?" Harvey asked as he looked over at her.

"_Yes, _I am," Roz snapped. "I know I wasn't always his biggest fan, but I'll do whatever I can to help. Like you said, Harvey, he deserves to have someone on his side."

* * *

It was a weird feeling for Roz to walk into the Spellman Mortuary and not intend to see Sabrina. It was an even weirder feeling to be there to see her best friend's boyfriend. For weeks, as Nick recovered and was unconscious, she came to support Sabrina as any good friend would in a time like this. Now that he was awake, she had a lot to say to him. She wanted to come without Theo and Harvey because they wouldn't understand completely the damage the man had done to her friend. It was a woman thing.

She walked into the room to find Nick sitting up. She could see the outline of the bandage on his chest through his black shirt. He looked miserable. His eyes were casted down, his expression almost longing. He looked up after a few moments, but said nothing. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Roz shook her head, reminding herself why she was there. "I'm Roz," she said. "I don't know if you remember me. I'm one of Sabrina's friends."

Nick nodded in response.

"I came here because….I wanted to say…." She was finding it hard to stay focused. The poor guy was trapped in Hell, then in a coma for weeks. All to prove he was sorry for what he did to Sabrina. "Look, what you did to Sabrina, it was shitty. She really cares about you and you did a real asshole thing. But you went and did something really….noble.

"I want to hate you. I should for breaking my girl's heart, but…."

Roz gasped as she touched Nick's arm. Flashes of images ran through her mind. Terrible, horrible images. She stood a few feet away from Nick's nearly frozen form that stuck out of an ice lake. Moments later, someone came, weaving chains around his body and yanking him from the icy water. She wanted to scream as the man began carving into Nick's body.

For as long as she lived, she would never forget the sound of Nicholas Scratch screaming and begging for mercy. The scenes began to move quickly before her eyes, each much worse than the last. She knew she would go mad if she continued to watch the warlock be tortured. Thankfully, Nick pulled his arm from her grasp.

Roz stumbled back a few steps, gasping for breath as if she were running for her life.

"Nick…."

Nick shook his head furiously, putting a finger to his lips. Roz knew exactly what he was asking.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone what I saw. I wish I could _forget _what I saw." Nick gave her a look as if to say 'sorry.' She let out a shaky breath. "Don't worry. It just means that it was something I was meant to see. I should go. I'm so sorry you went through that. I'm still mad at you for hurting Sabrina, but not so much now. I hope you guys work it out."

Roz hurried out of the room. Once the doors were closed behind her, she leaned into them, covering her face as tears started to fall.

* * *

"You're risking his life playing a loophole?" Theo asked. "What happens if this doesn't work?"

"Then he dies either way," Prudence said. "He did something not just for Sabrina, but for all of humanity - witches, warlocks, and mortals alike. What is a few drops of blood for the man that saved civilization?"

"Fine, I'm in," Theo said.

All eyes were on Harvey now. Sabrina knew he would be the hardest to convince. Despite the fact that he took Nick in, they were still at odds at times. Or at least that's what everyone believed.

"Harvey, I know this is a really difficult position to put you in," Sabrina said. "But…."

"I'll do it," Harvey interrupted.

"You will?" Sabrina was honestly shocked. She thought she would have to do more to try to convince him to participate.

"Yea. He's an ass, but he's not bad. I'll help."

* * *

Harvey and Roz were on the couch watching a movie when Nick stumbled into the house. He looked as if he was just in a fight, his shirt half pulled out and a nice looking bruise forming on his jaw.

"What happened to you?" Harvey asked.

"Ask Roz," Nick grumbled as he headed to his room.

They waited for the door to slam behind Nick before speaking. "Ok, what's going on?" Harvey asked.

Roz sighed. "I accidentally knocked over the trash earlier and when I was picking everything up, I saw some beer bottles hidden at the bottom of the trash can. I know your dad quit and you don't drink, so I knew it had to be Nick's," she explained.

"Roz…."

"I just thought it was insensitive for him to drink in the house with your dad, so I called Sabrina and asked her to talk to him about it. She called me back like a half hour ago and said they got into a fight and he stormed off."

"You shouldn't have done that, Roz."

"Why not? He shouldn't be sneaking drinks in here. I know your dad got 'help' to stop drinking, but it still shouldn't be in the house."

"Yea, but it wasn't Nick's fault."

"So the beer just magically appeared in the house with a warlock living downstairs?"

"The beer wasn't Nick's."

"Of course it was. Whose else would it be?"

"Mine."

Roz laughed in disbelief as if he told a bad joke. "Sure the beers were yours." Harvey looked up at her with serious and sad eyes. "Oh my God….the beer was yours. I don't understand."

"It's been hard since we got back. I couldn't sleep, sometimes I wouldn't eat. I was just having a difficult time with all we went through down there. Then Nick moved in. It wasn't easy living with him. He clearly hated me and the fact that this was the only place he could go.

"He eventually opened up. Told me that he appreciated the fact I let him stay here. We started sorta getting along. Soon it kinda felt like….like…."

"Like what Harvey?" Roz asked, putting her hand on his.

"Like I had a brother again. It made me feel guilty. Like I was replacing Tommy. I found a beer in the back of the fridge one day so I tried it. I'd have a few in my room. Nick found my stash and poured each bottle out in front of me. Those were the bottles you found. He promised not to tell anyone as long as I stopped drinking."

"And I told Sabrina he was drinking so…."

"He had to have taken the fall for me. I should go talk to him. Clear this whole thing up."

Harvey stood and headed down the hall to Nick's room. He knocked on the door before entering. Nick was sitting on his bed in a clean white t-shirt and a pair of sweats. He was rubbing his knuckles on his right hand, which looked pretty swollen.

"Hey," Harvey said.

Nick looked up with a scowl. "What do you want?" he snapped.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't know Roz was going to tell Sabrina."

"Ok."

"Ok? That's it?"

"Yea. What else do you want?"

"I don't know."

"You want me to tell you it's ok, Farm Boy? Say, 'hey my girlfriend's cousin just beat the shit out of me for something _you _did but don't worry about it'."

"I didn't ask you to take the blame."

"Yea and I'm not looking for praise or sympathy for doing it either. What's done is done."

"Why are you such an asshole all the time?"

Nick quickly got to his feet and was inches from Harvey is a second. The Kinkle boy was a good couple inches taller than Nick, but he was still intimidated for some reason.

"I just got my ass beat. My girlfriend thinks I'm a drunk and he cousin wants to kill me. All that because of you, _Harry_. I'll probably be dead in a few months, so who gives a shit. You….she still has you. If I die, I need someone to protect her and you can't fucking do it if she doesn't trust your drunk ass. If I need to shove a potion to make you stop drinking down your throat, I'll do it. Got it?"

"Yea. I got it."

Nick too a step back. "Good. And I'm not replacing your brother. I still hate you."

* * *

"So what do we do?" Roz asked as she, Theo, and Harvey stood.

"we already made and gave Nick the potion needed to purify his body," Ambrose said. "It is expelling the poison from his body. It should have worked through his system. Now we each take this knife and cut out hands enough to drip a few drops on him wound."

"Time out," Theo said. "You want us to cut ourselves and drip our blood in his open wound? Um, that can't be sanitary."

"Our kind don't succumb to disease as easily as mortals," Prudence said.

"Ok, still, kinda sounds like how STDs are spread." Harvey elbowed Theo. "Ow!"

"Come on, we need to get this started. He's running out of time," Sabrina said as they hurried into Nick's room.

They were met by Hilda and Zelda. The sisters stood between the group of and Nick.

"I knew you would try this," Hilda said. "You're going to try to give your blood."

"Aunties, we have to," Sabrina said desperately.

"You most certainly do not. You three," Zelda called pointing to Roz, Theo, and Harvey,, "go home. And _you three_, you are forbidden from being in this room alone with Nicholas."

"Auntie Zee, Sabrina is right. We have to do this," Ambrose stated. "He'll die if we don't."

"Do you even realize what you would be attempting?" Hilda asked. No one spoke. "If, and that is a big _if_, this worked you wouldn't be curing Nick of this damned curse. You think you are just going to nick yourselves and sprinkle some blood on him then he'll be all better?"

Hilda pulled out a leather bound journal, much like the ones Ambrose, Sabrina, and Nick had. She flipped the book open to a bookmarked page, shoving it into Ambrose's hands.

"You aren't ridding him of the bloody curse," Hilda said. "You're sharing it. Edward _speculated _that the bonds between a family would eventually diminish the curse but there's no telling if it would actually work. If it doesn't, the infection will spread quickly in Nicholas until he is dead."

"And then it will torture and kill you all the same way it had him," Zelda stated.

"Then I'll do it myself," Sabrina said firmly. Everyone protested, but she just shook her head. "I'm not going to stand by and watch him die. I won't. I can't. Please, Aunties, you have to let me try."

"Sabrina," Nick called weakly.

Sabrina quickly made her way to Nick's side. "I'm here. I'm right here, Nick," she assured him as she took his hand.

"You promised."

She shook her head as tears streamed down her face. "I can't, Nick. I can't let you leave me."

"But you promised," he reminded her with heavy breaths. "You promised when it was my time, you let it be my time."

"I know. I'm sorry, Nick, but I don't want it to be your time. Not now. Please, let us help you."

He reached up his free hand, cupping the side of her face as he had when he woke from his coma. This time, she did not pull away. She leaned into his soft touch, her heart breaking knowing this may be the last time.

"The first time I saw you, you were more beautiful than any angel any god could create. I knew then I loved you. You were my first, my last, my only and truest love. Thank you, Sabrina Spellman, for showing me what it meant to love and be loved."

Sabrina rested her head on his chest as she cried, not caring who heard her.

"Shh," Nick comforted her as he kissed the top of her head. "It's ok."

His breathing started to become more labored. Sabrina could heart his heart slowing down. This was it. This was the end. She held onto him as tightly as she could.

There was a gasp and Sabrina felt pressure against Nick's chest. She looked up to see Hilda with her hand pressed against Nick's wound and the other holding a knife with a single drop of blood running down the blade.

"Hilda, what have you done?" Zelda asked in a panic.

"I couldn't let him die," Hilda said. "I have no children of my own. But I've tended to this boy for months. I couldn't love him more if he were my own son." She pressed her hand into Nick's wound. "The mother to care for her son, loving him beyond means."

* * *

Hilda heard the sound of tue piano coming from the parlor. She could have swirn she was home alone. Zelda was at the desecrated church with the twins. Ambrose and Prudence were taking a well deserved mini vacation to the small town just across Sweetwater River. Lastly, Sabrina was at school.

She recognized the tune being played. It was one of her favorties: Against All Odds. She quietly entered the parlor just as Nick began to sing. He played with more emotion than she ever saw from him. It shocked her. Mostly because tje young warlock spent most of his time laying in bed with the covers pulled up to his neck as he stared blankly at the wall.

He and Sabrina weren't doing so well. Every time they would fight, Sabrina refused to visit Nick for a few days. Nick in turn would sulk and slip into what could only be described as depression. It couldn't be easy for him. To have gone through such an ordeal only to watch the very thing he stayed alive for slip away.

The moment Hilda shifted, she floor beneath her creaked and Nick stopped, turning around to face her.

"Please, do continue," Hilda said. "It was rather lovely. I mean, who doesn't love a little Phil Collins?"

Nick forced a half smile. "I'm sorry. I thought everyone was gone," Nicm said.

"Don't apologize. I'm just glad to see you out of bed." Hilda sat beside Nick at the piano, pressing a few keys. "Zelda and I used to play. Our parents made us learn, but the realy talent came from our brother Edward. Where did you learn to play so beautifully?"

"The Academy. I used to sneak into the chior room at night to practice my scales and one day I just….taught myself."

"I have a feeling that was all to impress girls."

"Well, _a_ girl." Nick sighed.

"I wasn't your fan at first," Hilda admitted. "I wasn't sure if Sabrina should trust you. Perhaps on some level she shouldn't have, but can I be honest with you?"

"Aren't you already?"

"I could tell you loved her. It is a beautiful, joyful love that people should envy. You two are lucky to have found each other so young. My life is almost half over and I only now meet Dr. Cee."

"Half a life for us is several full lives for mortals. Don't you worry that you will have to watch Dr. Cerberus age and….die?"

Hilda laughed. "Well, the succubus that lives in him will keep him living for almost as long as us. But I do fear death. One day, he or I will die and the other will havr to continue living. We can either worry about the tome we have left or accept our time has come when it comes. Love your life until that moment. Love in that time."

* * *

Ambrose took the knife and cut his hand. He wiped the blade and handed it to Harvey who did the same before handing the knife to Theo. Hilda removed her hand as each boy pressed their hand against the wound.

"Brothers to stand beside you along your path," they chanted.

Prudence and Roz cut their hands and placed them against the wound after the boys stepped aside. "Sisters, to lift you up when you fall."

Once they lifted their hands, Prudence handed Sabrina the knife. Sabrina looked up at Nick, keeping her eyes on his as she felt the sharp sting against her hand.

"Sabrina," Nick said as his breathing slowed.

Sabrina pressed her hand against his wound. "Lovers. One mind, one body. Forever intertwined. Hearts beating as one, until our days are done."

Sabrina pressed her lips against Nick's, kissing him softly but filled with every emotion she was feeling. She pulled back, his lips lingering against hers. That's when she realized he wasn't breathing.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Sabrina stared at herself in her full length mirror. Nothing looked right on her. She had tried on several black dresses and nothing suited her taste….or mood. She touched the small scar that was on her hand. Sometimes, she thought she could feel the stinging in her hand as if the wound reopened and forced her to remember why it was there in the first place. She shook the thoughts from her head, not wanting to relive that night.

"Cousin! Are you ready _yet_?" Ambrose shouted up the stairs.

"In a minute! If you're in such a hurry go by yourself!" Sabrina yelled back.

"My, my. _Someone_ is feeling feisty today."

"Goodbye, Ambrose!"

"I'll just tell Auntie Zee that _you_ are making us late."

Sabrina groaned and shut her door. She headed back into her closet, going through each dress. She paused when she came across an olive green belted tunic. Nick had teased her once about having so many clothes, but only wearing a handful of color choices. She had bought and wore this particular shirt to shut him up. She didn't realize it would be the last time she wore the wore it. She couldn't bear to put it on again. It was the shirt she wore the day Nick died.

* * *

The room was dark, the only light coming from the gap under the door. Salem's soft pur was the only sound that could be heard. Sabrina didn't care for light or visitors. For the last week, she laid in bed wearing one of Nick's shirts she found wrapped in a blanket.

She had been without Nick for one week, but it felt like an eternity. She felt the emptiness not just beside her, but in her heart. At first, her friends tried to come see her, but she refused to see them. She didn't want visitors. She didn't want people to tell her how sorry they were for her. She just wanted Nick back.

The first few nights, she had cried herself to sleep. But in her sleep, she dreamed of Nick. She would wake up calling for him, sobbing uncontrollably when she realized he would not answer. Zelda would come then and hold her niece as she cried for her lost love. She would sing Sabrina a song to calm her as she did when the younger witch was a baby.

Zelda was always hard on her niece, but she loved her. She resembled Edward more than most people saw. But Zelda saw it. It was in Sabrina's eyes and smile. Zelda could see her beloved baby brother in his daughter. Sabrina was almost as stubborn as Edward. He too saw rules more as a guideline to bend to his own will or liking. Rules weren't made for the likes of Edward or Sabrina Spellman. They made the rules.

"How is she today?" Roz asked Ambrose in the hall.

"I wish I could say she is doing better, but I would be lying," Ambrose sighed. "But at least she is not worse. Where are your other friends?"

"We're meeting up later. I just wanted to stop by and check up on our girl."

"She's still in mourning," Prudence said as she came down from the attic. "She sleeps her days away, barely eating or getting out of the bed."

Ambrose nodded in confirmation. "Aunt Hilda got her to take a bath the other day, but she went right back to the bed afterwards."

Roz sighed. "I'll come by again later with a milkshake. Maybe I can get her to talk to me," she said hopefully. She gave the other two a wave before heading back downstairs.

"She won't talk to her," Prudence stated.

"We don't know that," Ambrose said.

"I do. Sabrina won't even speak to you or your aunts, why would she speak with the mortal?"

"Prudence, we have to do whatever we can to try to help Sabrina get out of this funk she is in."

"Funk? She just lost the love of her life. Nicholas is _gone_ and you think this is just a _funk_?!"

"I didn't mean it like that. Yes, losing Nick was a tragedy. I know what it feels to have lost her love, but hiding away in the dark won't bring him back."

Prudence just laughed and shook her head before turning to head up to the attic. Ambrose let out a sigh. Everyone seemed to be treading water carefully around Sabrina, but tension was starting to get high between everyone else. They all had their opinions about how to cope with the situation and they all had an opinion on how the others were wrong.

For the most part, Ambrose had been able to dodge tense situations, but as he just did, he often slipped and upset someone. He headed down the hall to Sabrina's room, taking his usual seat by her window in the darkened room.

"I want you to know, cousin, I don't mean to be insensitive. I know very well the pain you feel. The day I found out Lucas had died, part of me did too. We have different means of coping. Perhaps my love for Luke wasn't as strong as your bond with Nick, but I feel the pang of loss all the same. I am always going to be here for you, Sabrina. There is no need to travel this path alone."

Sabrina kept her back to her cousin. She knew Ambrose understood her pain, but from what she heard of his conversation with Prudence, he only understood to a point. He stayed vigilant by his cousin's bedside. He muttered a sleeping spell to help his cousin rest and ward off any nightmares that may come. Sabrina closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep, knowing a dreamless sleep was almost as painful as a nightmare.

Hilda came to relieve Ambrose a few hours later carrying a tray of food, though she knew little if any food would be eaten. Keeping watch over Sabrina had become routine for all in the Spellman home. Ambrose took the day shift, in the afternoons Hilda would come, and Zelda came at night.

"I've brought you something to eat, love," Hilda said softly. "I know you haven't had an appetite, but you need to get something in your stomach."

No response.

"Oh Sabrina, I wish I could make this pain go away, but what your doing now won't help. We have to carry on, darling. Nick wouldn't want you to do this to yourself."

Still nothing. Hilda sighed and leaned down to kiss Sabrina's head softly. "You'll see, love, one day this will all have been a bad dream."

Hilda sat on the bench at the end of the bed. She pulled out one of her romance novels, turned on her travel book light, and got settled in for her "shift."

Hilda would look up occasionally to see if Sabrina was perhaps reaching out to grab some food or whenever she heard her niece shift in the bed. She hummed a tune to herself as she continued on with her book. She paused when she heard a set of footsteps rapidly approaching coming from down the hall. The door suddenly swung open and Zelda marched in.

"Zelda, what are you doing?" Hilda asked.

"Enough is enough. This has gone on too long," Zelda stated as she stood at the foot of the bed. "Sabrina Spellman, get out of that bed this instant."

"Zelda! You leave that poor girl alone."

"She cannot continue to mope around and act like her life is over."

"Oy! That's enough. Sabrina has gone through a lot. She needs time to cope with losing Nicholas."

"And laying in bed wasting away is coping? How does she expect to heal if she just lets the wound fester?"

Sabrina could hear her aunts arguing, but their words faded in the background. Ambrose's voice joined in the symphony of madness. She could feel something rising in her. Her blood began to boil, her anger reaching a tipping point.

"Shut up!" Sabrina yelled at her family as she sat up. "Just shut up! All of you! I'm tired of all of you fighting over how _I _should feel or how _I _should be handling _my_ loss. I lost Nick. I may not have loved him for very long, but I love him all the same and now he's gone.

"I don't need any of you coming in here to place sleeping or non-dreaming spells on me when all I want to do is sleep and be with him in my dreams. I don't need trays of food brought to me when I have _no_ appetite. And I sure as heaven don't need someone telling me to 'get over' the fact that I lost the love of my life."

Sabrina took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I appreciate all you guys have done, but right now, I just want to be alone."

The other Spellmans looked at each other, then back at Sabrina.

"I only meant well, cousin. I'm sorry," Ambrose apologized.

"Me too," Hilda said. "We worry about you, love. It's our nature."

"I will not apologize for how I feel," Zelda stated firmly. "You are not the only one that has lost someone you loved, Sabrina. The day your father died, my entire world came crashing down. He and your aunt Hilda are my younger siblings. I have cared for them for decades and to lose your best friend…." Zelda paused as her voice broke. "I was his protector and I failed him. He would not want his only child to waste their life crying over losing some boy."

"Some boy?" Sabrina asked, offended her aunt would refer to Nick as 'some boy'. "He wasn't 'some boy'. His name is Nicholas Scratch. If you're going to demean what he meant to me, just leave."

Zelda turned and headed out of the room.

"She means well, Sabrina," Hilda said. "Your Aunt Zelda has always been rough around the edges, but she just wants you to be happy. I don't agree with her pushing you to move on so soon, but I understand her desire to see you smile again."

"I'm not ready yet, Aunt Hilda. It's still too soon. If you guys don't mind, I think I would like to be alone."

Ambrose and Hilda nodded. They turned to exit the room. Before the door shut behind them, Sabrina thought she saw a flash of short, bleach blonde hair go by. She shook her head of any thoughts that were not Nicholas Scratch.

She felt angry at herself for treating her family poorly when all they wanted to do was help, but qt the same time she didn't. She wanted to mourn Nick in her own way without them trying to tell her that it will be ok one day. _One day_. Those were the keywords. One day, maybe she would feel less hurt and sad. But today, she missed Nick with every fiber of her being. Today, she just wanted to cry over her loss.

Sabrina wasn't sure how much time had passed when she heard her door creak open. The hall was dark, so she knew it had to be late. The weight on the bed shifted. It was probably Ambrose checking up on her. She felt a hand on her shoulder, realizing suddenly that the hand was much slimmer than Ambrose's. She looked over her shoulder to see Prudence, a tear staining her cheek.

"They tell you not to cry, to mourn silently," she said, her voice breaking. "It is unfair to ask that of you. To act as if Nick were someone you could just move on from. I miss him too. There is no need to hide from me. I will shed tears for Nicky with you."

Sabrina sat up and stared at Prudence for a moment. She had never heard Prudence be so open and honest with her. Sabrina often forgot that both Prudence and Nick were orphans left to be raised in the Academy. Nick mentioned that for years, she was his only friend. If anyone know how she felt, it was Prudence Night.

"I don't know if I'll ever be over losing him," Sabrina admitted.

"You won't. He and what you had will linger on in your life forever, but it need not be something you mourn over. Celebrate the love you two shared. It is definitely one most people search for in a lifetime."

Sabrina threw her arms around Prudence, hugging her tightly as she cried softly. She felt her hug her back, sniffling in her ear to let her know she was crying too.

* * *

Sabrina let out a breath, holding the piece of clothing in her hands. She heard someone's footsteps entering her room. She sniffled, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Ambrose, I told you, I'm not ready yet," she groaned.

"Do you really need this long to get ready? I mean, honestly Spellman," Nick teased as he leaned against the door frame. "That's a nice shirt. I bet it would look amazing on you."

"It _did_, but I don't think I'll ever wear it again," Sabrina said as she tossed the shirt onto the her desk chair.

"Why not?"

"It's the shirt I was wearing when….you died."

"You mean the day my heart stopped beating, but you refused to let me die." Sabrina glared at her boyfriend. "You can give me a dirty look all you want, Spellman. It's the truth." He walked over to her, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her close to him. "You wouldn't let me go even after you promised you would. And I am grateful for that. You saved me, Spellman. Like always."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly.

"It was hard, when you were in Hell. It felt like I had lost you forever. Like you were gone, but not completely. It was such a terrible feeling. Prudence and I even became friends comforting each other."

"The horror!"

"I know, right? I will always remember that feeling. The dark hole I was in knowing you were gone. I know I wouldn't be able to go on if you died."

Nick took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against hers. "I promise you, Sabrina Spellman, I will _never_ leave you again."

Sabrina wrapped her arms around Nick, holding his tightly. "Ambrose sent you up here didn't he?"

"I won't lie to you, he did. He hoped that I would persuade you to hurry up."

"And what do you get out of it?"

"Nothing if we go down there. I figured we could just make out for a while."

"I like the way you think, Scratch."


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Nick didn't intend on another make out session, but it seemed inevitable. His body yearned for hers constantly. Her scent was intoxicating. Her lips begged him to press his against hers. It started out soft, loving pecks; but soon his movements became feverish. His tongue sought entry into her mouth, which she quickly and happily obliged.

Sabrina's leg was hitched up, wrapping around his waist as his hand grasped the flesh of her thigh. He pulled his lips from hers, kissing a trail down to her neck. He nipped at the skin and was awarded with a moan. He kissed her neck as her breathing got heavy.

"Wait," she moaned.

"Hm?" he hummed against her neck.

"Nick, wait a minute," she managed to get out.

He pulled back and looked up at her. "Everything ok?"

"Yea, I'm fine. I just….we should slow it down before we get too ahead of ourselves."

"Oh," he said knowingly. "Yea, yea. I'm sorry. I got carried away." He rolled off of her, groaning as he realized his pants felt a little smaller. He laid on his side facing her as he tucked her hair behind her ear. "Sorry, I can't help myself around you."

"No, no. You shouldn't be sorry. _I'm_ sorry for….stopping us. You aren't mad are you?"

"Of course not, Spellman. Like I said, we will go as fast or slow as you want. We won't do anything until you're ready."

"Seriously, how can you be such an amazing boyfriend?"

"Warlocks. We do it best. And I mean _everything_," he said with a wink. She giggled and swatted at his chest before he leaned in to kiss her.

Her hand rested on his hip, making it hard to miss the bulge in the front of his pants. "So when you get….excited," she started, motioning to his lower region, "do you do….private things?"

"Yes," he replied quickly. He realized he responded too quickly. She definitely noticed because her face fell to a frown. "Oh, no, babe. It's not….I'm not….I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok. I mean, i was ready then I wasn't….it's a difficult situation. And you have needs."

"It's not a bad thing. I mean, it's more just pressure relief." He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "If you want, I'll never touch myself without your permission."

Sabrina laughed and pushed him away. "I didn't say you couldn't. I asked. I should have been prepared for the answer. I mean, you're a guy and guys do that."

Nick raised a brow. "Guys? _Everyone_ does that. I know for a fact _you_ do 'private' stuff."

Sabrina's jaw dropped as she stared at him in shock. "How do you _know_ for a fact?"

"I may or may not have walked in on you and walked right back….last week. You're right, I should really start knocking."

"You saw me….you're lying. Please say you're lying."

"It was hot, but I figured you would want some privacy."

"Nick! No….oh my…." Sabrina groaned and covered her face to hide ger embarrassment.

"Oh come on now. It's ok. It was a difficult situation. You were ready and then you weren't…."

"Shut up," she laughed.

"So, Spellman, what shall we do with all this time we have?"

"Well, Theo said he was going bowling with Harvey and Roz."

"So we would essentially be going on a double date, plus Theo?"

"Not exactly," Sabrina said as she started to shift. "Theo asked a...friend to come along."

"A friend? Like a girlfriend?"

"No…."

Nick raised a brow. "Boyfriend?"

Sabrina shook her head. "A friend, friend. He invited Billy Marlin to hang out with us."

"Billy Marlin….isn't he the guy that used to pick on him?"

"He is. They have talked through their issues and now they're friends."

"_Just_ friends?"

Sabrina stood up and started fixing her clothes. "Yes, they are _just_ friends. Whether or not they are more, _we _will not ask. If they're more, Theo will tell us if and or when he's ready."

Nick shrugged as he rolled off the bed. "Fine, I won't ask Theo." He opened his door, running right into Harvey. "Hey, what's up with Theo and that Billy Marlin guy?"

"I'm not sure," Harvey said. "Roz made me promise not to ask."

* * *

"You two are absolutely terrible," Roz sighed as she and Sabrina walked ahead of Nick and Harvey.

"What? You ladies said not to ask Theo. We were speculating," Harvey said as he and Nick caught up.

"I'm just saying, if you hang out with someone alone on several occasions and suddenly ask them to hang out with your best friends, it means something," Nick said. "I mean, Sabrina started having me hang out with you guys."

"You're just pretty to look at," Sabrina teased as she pinched Nick's cheek.

"Well, whatever's going on between Theo and Billy, we need to respect the fact that they're going to tell us what they're comfortable with," Roz said.

"And we will not be tricking anyone into giving more information than they want to," Sabrina added giving Nick a knowing look.

"What?" he laughed.

"You know _exactly _what I'm talking about, Nicholas."

Nick took her hand and gave it a kiss. "I promise to be on my best behavior."

Nick pulled the door to the bowling alley open, allowing the others to walk in first. The place had been upgraded over the years to appeal more to the younger crowds. Black lights illuminated the lanes, giving the pins a neon blue glow. Pop music played through the speakers as a basketball game projected onto the screens above the end of the lanes. Sabrina looked over at Nick whose eyes lit up in wonderment.

She forgot at times Nick didn't experience a lot of things mortals did - like bowling. He always talked about how he loved being able to do things normal mortal teenagers did with her and having them be his first time made them even more wrapped her arms around his torso, looking up at him as he smiled down at her as if to say 'thanks for dragging me here.'

The group found Theo and Billy quickly. The two were laughing about something. They must have been having a good time because they didn't notice the others had walked up to them.

"Oh, hey guys," Theo smiled. "Glad you could come!"

"Hey, you're that guy that passed out at Dr. Cerberus's like 4 months ago aren't you?" Billy asked Nick.

Everyone looked toward Nick, whose face was a mix of disbelief and surprise.

"Yea, that would be me," Nick replied as if he weren't just asked a personal question so casually. "I'm Nick, Sabrina's boyfriend." He held his hand out to the taller blonde, shaking his hand firmly.

"Billy. I've seen you at some dances, but I don't think you go to Baxter High."

The warlock shook his head. "I do not."

"What school do you go to? Are we in the same league?"

"Um no. I go to a private school. We don't really have sports teams."

"Oh, you kinda look like you'd play a sport. How did you and Sabrina meet?"

"You sure are curious aren't you," Nick laughed. "Sabrina and I go to the same church."

"Which church?"

"Hey!" Theo interrupted. "We already got our shoes and ordered some food for everyone. So we'll wait for you guys while you get your shoes. Sound good?"

They all nodded before heading to the counter.

"So clearly, no one told Billy about the no prying rule," Nick laughed.

"Billy never really understood boundaries," Harvey shrugged.

"_But_ he isn't as bad as he used to be," Roz added.

"Believe me, he used to be pretty bad," Sabrina sighed.

"Bad how?" Nick asked.

"Huh? Oh he was just a bully."

"That's it? A guy with no boundaries used to be worse than asking a stranger about passing out and his schooling within 5 minutes of meeting him….how much worse was he?"

"Hey, calm down. He was a jerk, but he never did anything to me," Sabrina reassured as she gave Nick's hand a squeeze.

"Good, I'd kick his ass if he ever did."

"I know you would." Sabrina placed a kiss on Nick's cheek before taking his hand and leading him back to the lane.

Harvey and Roz waited at the counter in silence for their shoes.

"I'd fight him for you," Harvey said breaking the silence. Roz just nodded. "So you're not talking to me now?"

"We agreed not to fight in front of everyone," Roz snapped. "If we're going to pretend we aren't fighting, then don't start a fight."

"How am _I _starting a fight?"

"Your passive aggressive comments."

"What are you talking about?"

"Forget it. Let's just go over there and pretend everything is fine."

"Fine. Whatever."

Harvey snatched his shoes from the counter and started walking back to the group. Roz stayed behind, taking a few deep breaths before deciding to join her friends. She reminded herself that she was there to have fun. She didn't want to think about the issues she was having with Harvey. When she turned around, she jumped a little when Nick was right behind her with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh my God," she gasped.

"Nah, just me, Nick," he joked. "You ok?"

"Yea. I just didn't know you were behind me."

"That's not what I'm talking about." Roz gave him a look as if she didn't know what he was talking about. "I live in the room below Harvey's. If I can hear you two have sex, I can hear you fight."

"Oh. Wow."

"I told Sabrina I left something in the truck. Walk with me?"

Roz tilted her head a little to look past Nick and at Harvey. He was in a conversation with Billy, seemingly not noticing that she had not joined them yet.

"Sure," she sighed.

Nick turned and headed to the exit with Roz beside him. He liked Roz. She was very headstrong and determined. She spoke her mind and genuinely cared for the people around her. She had barely known Nick when she came to rescue him, but over the last year, they had really gotten to know each other well.

"So, what's going on?" he asked.

"A lot I guess," she said. "We're graduating soon and that means we have been thinking about colleges. I'm sure he told you he got accepted to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn."

"He mentioned it." That was an understatement. Harvey was so happy to have gotten in, he told everyone he saw including Nick. He had even given the warlock a hug before he realized what he was doing.

"Well he accepted and he's moving to New York City in a few months. I applied to some schools and I got accepted….to Harvard."

"Wow, congratulations."

Roz nodded, keeping her head down so Nick couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you. I wish Harvey reacted half of the way you did. He was upset I'm not going to NYU, which would have been like 20 minutes away. Instead, I accepted an offer from a school 4 hours from where he will be."

"Harvard is one of the best schools in the country. So what if you didn't accept an offer from NYU."

"I didn't even apply. I told him I would, but….I didn't." Roz wiped the tears from her eyes, angry they were even there. "I just don't want to be stuck. I wanted to try something new and exciting. Go places. Do things."

"Are we talking in terms of school or something else?"

Roz stared down the dark road. "I'm not sure," she almost whispered. "I love Harvey. But we're just in high school. Who marries their high school sweetheart?"

"He wanted you to go to New York City with him. It's not like he…." Nick trailed off when Roz looked over at him. "Unholy shit he proposed to you. You said no?"

"What was I supposed to say?"

"I'm sure he was hoping 'yes'."

"We're barely adults, Nick. If we get married then we'll end up having kids. I'll have to stop working to take care of them. We won't get to travel wherever we want. Do what we want. We're not ready. I'm not ready."

Nick slowly nodded his head. Though he looked their age, he was much older than the group of friends. He remembered what it was like before signing his name in the book of the beast. The anxiety uncertainty of the future brought had been a lot to handle. Teenage Nick knew that he had his whole life ahead of him and he was about to just sign it away. Still, he signed his name. There were times he wondered if it was worth it. Times he regretted it. Then one day a girl with blonde hair tied back with a black ribbon walked into the choir room. The moment she began to sing, he knew that she was why he was meant to sign the book.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to experience life. Don't ever be ashamed of wanting to see what's out there," he said. "What matters the most is who you're sharing those experiences with."

"And you're positive you want to share your experiences with Sabrina?"

"Without a doubt," Nick answered without skipping a beat. "There are many things I've done in my life. All of which I wouldn't hesitate to do them again with or for Sabrina Spellman."

Roz sighed. "I wish I was as sure as you."

"It's ok that you're not. Mortals only live one lifetime. If I only lived 80 to 90 years, I would want to be sure that I'm taking the journey with the right person. Just don't wait too long that you miss the experience all together."

"I'm really glad I was Team Nick."

"Say what now?"

"Team Nick. You know, when you support a guy someone should be with?" Nick stared at Roz as if she was speaking another language. "It's from Twilight." Still nothing. "Wow. Ok. I'll lend you the movies."

"Well whatever that means, know Sabrina are always on your team."

Roz gave Nick a hug. "You're a good guy, Nick. Thank you for everything."

"Am I missing out on a group hug?" Sabrina asked as she approached the two.

"Bring it on in, babe," Nick said as he pulled her into the hug. "Alright. I am going to let you two chat while I go inside and hang out with the guys." Nick headed back toward the building.

"No prying!" Sabrina yelled after him.

"No promises!" He yelled back.

"Sorry," Sabrina chuckled. "He's been in a really good mood lately so he's been more playful and full of jokes."

"That's a good thing," Roz smiled. "It makes you happy when he's in a good mood."

"It does." Sabrina inhaled deeply, letting the cold air fill her lungs Before letting it out slowly. "So, Harvey told me."

Roz sighed. "Of course he did."

"I can't believe he proposed to you. I thought you were going to talk to him about trying a long distance relationship."

"Well, I told him that we needed to talk about our relationship and what we would do when we went to different colleges. To which he said, 'I'm glad you brought it up because I think we should take another big step and get married'."

"He didn't say that, did he?"

"Oh he did," Roz said with a nervous laugh. "He said that word for word then got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. And then I said no. He asked why and asked if it was because we were going to different colleges and argued that NYU is only an hour away. I said, 'Yea, but Harvard is 4'."

"You got into Harvard?! I didn't even know you applied."

Roz smiled and nodded. "I did. I actually got a scholarship to help pay. I decided I wanted to get into politics and Harvard has one of the best political science programs in the country. So I applied and I got in."

"That's amazing Roz. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you. I just wish Harvey was too. I just don't want to leave my dream behind just so I can be close to Harvey. I….I don't want to do what my mom did. And I feel _terrible _because I love Harvey and I love my mom. I just don't want to put my life on hold. I want to be more than a girl from Greendale. I want to make a difference."

"You shouldn't feel terrible for wanting more in your life. Harvey came out of left field with that proposal, which I will have to get Nick to ask more about. But he loves you. He's probably hurt, but I know he'll want to make it work."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"If Nick asked you to marry him, would you say yes?"

Sabrina couldn't help but smile. "In a heartbeat."

* * *

"That was a lot more fun than I thought it would be," Nick admitted as he walked Sabrina down the path to her house.

"You did really well for it being your first time," Sabrina said. "I felt bad for Riz and Harvey. They didn't seem to have fun."

"Considering the situation, I'm sure they weren't. But Theo and Billy were having the time of their lives."

"They were having fun, weren't they? I don't know how that's going to turn out, but it'll be interesting for sure."

They stopped when they got to the door. Sabrina leaned back into the doorframe. He reached for her hands and she gladly took his. He leaned him, placing a long kiss on her lips.

"We still on for your prom?" he asked

"We certainly are. It's senior prom. We can't miss that," she replied.

"Definitely can't miss it. Another first to check off my list."

"Proms are notorious for a lot of 'firsts' to be checked off."

"Ah prom. More virginities lost than car keys."

Sabrina laughed. Roz's question from earlier in the night suddenly popped into her head. She didn't even have to think twice about her answer. She knew she would marry Nick if he asked, but she wasn't sure if he even would ask.

"So, Roz asked me something weird," she said.

"What did she ask?" He asked.

"Well, we were talking about the whole Harvey proposing thing and asked if you asked me, if I would say yes."

Nick raised a brow. "Is this leading to you to telling me you want to wait til marriage to have sex?"

"What? No."

"Ok. We were just talking about virginities and them now marriage. One and one don't equal two this time. But that is a very interesting question she would ask."

"It is. Kinda wondering why she would ask it."

"Probably to find out if I asked if you would say yes."

"And do you want to know the answer?"

Nick shook his head. "Nope."

"Really?" She asked genuinely shocked.

"Really. I'm not proposing right now, so I don't want to know the answer to a question I haven't asked."

"But you would ask."

Nick took a deep breath. "Um…."

Sabrina's heart dropped into her stomach. She dropped his hands as she pushed herself from the doorframe. "I see. Well, I'm going inside. You have a good night, Nicholas."

Nick shook his head. "No, Sabrina wait. Let me explain."

"What's there to explain? It's fine. I shouldn't have asked. I'm really tired so I'm going up to my room." She turned quickly so Nick couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Sabrina, wait," Nick said as he gently grabbed her arm and turned her so she was facing him. "You need to understand something about how proposals work with our kind. I can't just ask you. I have to get permission."

"What?"

"I have to get permission to ask you. Kind if like how mortals used to do. Traditionally, a warlock would ask a witch's father. If he is deceased, then you would ask the oldest member of the family. And in this case would be…."

"My Aunt Zelda."

Nick sighed and nodded his head. "If she says no, I can't ask you to marry me. If I did, she could kick us out of the family. Like you wouldn't be a Spellman anymore."

"That's insane."

"We take marriage seriously. A lot like the Catholic church once you're married in the church, that's it. That's you're mate for life unless one of you dies. Witches don't believe in divorce so your family has power to deny entry into it. I should probably head home. It's getting awkward."

Sabrina chuckled as she played with break line of his coat. "I think you should stay here tonight. To be clear, I'm not proposing marriage or sex."

"Oh? And what would we do then?"

Sabrina grinned devilishly, grabbing his coat and pulling him into the house. "Private stuff."


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Yesterday was fun," Theo said as he sat across from Billy at Dr. Cerberus's.

"Oh yea, it really was," Billy smiled. "Your friend Nick seems cool. Completely obsessed with Sabrina, but cool."

"I wouldn't necessarily say he's obsessed. Devoted seems like a better word to describe their relationship. It's refreshing in my opinion. You don't see that kind of love much anymore."

"He didn't seem to like me."

"Nick just has to get used to you. He can be pretty private."

"How long have you known him?"

"Well we met about 2 years ago, but we didn't really get to know him until last year. Church stuff."

Billy shrugged, seemingly accepting Theo's answer. "Sabrina taking Nick to prom?"

"Of course," Theo laughed. "Even if he didn't want to, he would go for her."

"Seems like a pretty outstanding guy."

Theo noticed an odd tone in Billy's voice, but he couldn't really pinpoint what it was. "He is. I think you guys would get along if you tried. I mean, if he and Harvey could be friends you can too."

"So he's even friends with his girlfriend's ex?"

Theo nodded. "They're actually pretty close. They won't admit they are, but they're close to being best friends."

"What was going on with Harvey and Roz last night?"

"I'm not sure. Roz said she would tell me later though. They got to be fighting though. She 'casually' asked if I was flying solo to prom."

Billy nodded as he looked down at his hands. "You're going alone to prom?"

"Yea. I figured a lot of people would be going stag too. Who are you going with?"

"No one. I thought maybe we could go together."

"Oh yea. I'm sure Roz would welcome a group since I doubt she's going with Harvey."

"Oh. Yea. A group." Billy looked up when he heard the bells above the door chime. A group of his friends walked in, laughing and shoving each other. He looked back down, making sure not to make eye contact. "Hey, why don't we get outta here? I think there's a double feature at the theater."

"We just got here though. Didn't you wanna get some food first?"

"I'm fine. Really. Let's just…." He cursed under his breath when his friends spotted him.

Theo turned around to see the group pointing in their direction and they whispered something to each other and laughed.

"Oh, I see," Theo said sadly. "You don't want your buddies to know you're friends with me."

"No, Theo, it's not that."

"No, I get it," Theo said as he slid out of the booth. "I'll see you around, Billy."

"Wait, Theo!" Billy called after him. But Theo ignored his friend. He walked right past the group and out the front door. He was trying to get out of sight so quickly, he didn't see Nick walking into the shop.

"Whoa there, Theo. Where's the fire?" Nick joked. The warlock quickly noticed his friend was upset. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Theo sniffled. He tried to keep his voice steady, but the tears welling in his eyes gave him away.

Nick looked past Theo, noticing the group of Baxter High jocks. "Did those assholes do something to you again?"

"No. Nick, it's fine. I'm fine."

"I can tell you're not. I'm gonna say something to them."

Theo grabbed Nick's arm, pulling him back. "Please, Nick, don't," he begged. "They didn't do anything to me. It's just….Billy doesn't want his friends to see us hanging out. We're cool but his buddies still don't like me."

"Ok, that's worse than the knuckleheads teasing you."

"Nick! I'm begging you, just leave it be."

Nick let out a sigh. "Alright. I'll let it go _this time_

But I swear to Lilith…."

"It won't happen again. It's probably best I don't hang out with Billy again. I gotta go. I told Roz I would meet up with her."

"Alright man. Let's hang out later. Harvey can use some cheering up."

"Sounds good. I'll text you."

Theo hurried down the street. He wasn't sure if he really was rushing to meet up with Roz or to get away from Billy. Nick looked back into Dr. Cerberus's shop to see Billy staring at him. The mortal shook his head and got out of the booth to join his friends.

Nick could feel Billy's eyes on him as he headed up to the counter.

"Hello, Nicholas," Dr. Cee greeted with a smile. "How can I help you today?"

"Two cheeseburgers, vampire fries, and werewolf fries - extra chili on that please," Nick replied with a smile.

Dr. Cee always had named his food according to his theme or monster movies. Nick didn't understand at first. He even thought it odd a grown man would have a themed anything. Why couldn't he just call the fries garlic fries and chili fries? It grew on him though. The shop itself was quirky and fun. Of course it spilled into the food names.

"I can't believe you and Harvey are friend. You two are the complete opposite," Dr. Cee chuckled. "Sometimes I wonder how you two are and stay friends."

"That makes two of us, doc," Nick laughed.

"Alright, young man, I'll have your food ready in no time."

"Thank you so much, sir. No rush though."

Dr. Cee smiled and disappeared into the kitchen. Nick leaned against the counter and sighed. It was barely noon and already he needed to check on Harvey. He had called and texted his roommate to be sure he was ok since he spent the night at Sabrina's, leaving Kinkle alone in the house. There was no response so Nick thought it best he physically check up on him.

"You're even friends with the shop owner?" he heard a familiar voice huff.

Nick looked over his shoulder to see Billy standing a few feet away.

"Dr. Cee is my girlfriend's aunt's fiancee. Pleasantries are required. Besides, he's a really nice guy. Quirky and weird at times, but a nice guy."

"Right. People seem to think the same of you."

Nick turned around to face the taller man. "I beg your pardon?" he asked irritably.

"You're one of those guys people tend to describe with 'but a nice guy'."

"People around here don't know me well enough to describe me as anything. The opinion of the masses never bothered me. You ought to think about that."

"And what is _that _supposed to mean?"

"I thought that was clear: what other people think shouldn't matter or bother you. If you like doing something or hanging out with someone, fuck what others think."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"But I do, Billy. I promised I wouldn't confront your buddies over there, but if you're supposed to be Theo's friend, you should."

Dr. Cee emerged from the kitchen with a bag of food for Nick. The warlock handed the older man some money and uttered a thank you with a smile. He grabbed the food from the counter and headed for the door.

"He likes you," Billy called after Nick.

Nick laughed. "If you think he likes _me_, you're an idiot. Theo helped me through some tough shit. So yea, we're close now. He's like a brother to me. So if you Nick with him, you're going to have to deal with me."

Several eyes were on them now, including Billy's friends and Dr. Cerberus. The group of teenagers congregated behind their fellow jock, crossing their arms and attempting to look intimidating.

"Somehow, I don't think that's going to be an issue," Billy said, followed by chuckles from his friends.

Nick laughed to himself as he walked up to Billy, standing inches away from him. Though the blonde was taller, Nick didn't allow himself to be intimidated. "You and your buddies think you're some tough shit, threatening an eight against one match. You and your buddies don't scare me. You're nothing but a bunch of assholes that think because you wear a jacket with a letter sewn to it, you can do whatever the fuck you want. But I know guys like you. You're nothing but a bunch of scare little boys who know they've peaked before even graduating."

One of Billy's friends balled his fist and moved as if he were going to attack the warlock, but Billy blocked his way. He continued to stare down at the shorter man. Neither Nick nor Billy would back down and pretty soon tension would be too much to handle. Someone was going to throw a punch and all heaven and hell was going to break loose.

"Gentlemen," Dr. Cee called from behind the counter, "unless you plan on purchasing something, perhaps it be best to take your leave."

"Don't worry, Doc," Nick said. "I'm on my way out. These _gentlemen _are welcome to patronize your establishment."

Nicm swiftly made his exit. Once he was far enough down the street that you couldn't see him from the shop windows, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He was close to losing his temper and he couldn't afford to do that in public. The Dark Lord may not have been inside of him any longer, but there were still reminders that the young warlock harbored the embodiment of evil - such as an uncontrollable rage when he reached his boiling point.

"Hey Scratch," he heard Billy call.

Nick let out a heavy sigh as he turned to face Billy. Now that he was away from his neanderthal friends, Billy seemed to look calmer. More friendly.

"I prefer Nick, if you don't mind," Nick stated.

"Yea, sure. Um, look, about what happened back there…"

Nick put his hand up and shook his head. "I don't want nor need to hear it. I get it: you have a reputation to keep and hanging out with the trans kid cramps your style. Theo doesn't deserve that. It took a lot of him to come out and be who he was and he doesn't need someone like you only being a part time friend. I told myself I would give you a chance for Theo's sake and I'm willing to continue to do so, but you need to get your head out of your ass and start acting like an adult."

Billy stared at Nick for a moment, contemplating his words. Nick could tell there was something he wanted to say, but either didn't know how or couldn't actually get the words out.

"If I tell you something, I need you to _swear_ never to repeat it. Not even to Sabrina."

* * *

"Where is everyone?" Roz asked as she walked into a silent Spellman Mortuary.

"My Aunt Zelda is working on stuff at the Academy. Aunt Hilda took the twins shopping for some new clothes. And Ambrose is hanging out with Nick," Sabrina replied.

"And Harvey," Roz added. Sabrina just nodded. "That doesn't seem like everyone that loves here. Is someone mis…." Roz trailed off as Prudence came around the corner. "Of course. How could I forget about Prudence?"

Roz's voice dripped with sarcasm and she forced a fake smile. For Sabrina's sake, the two women were civil but far from what could even be thought of as friends. Their worlds collided and several things did not mix well.

Prudence rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Ever the charming mortal, per usual," she mocked.

"Ok!" Sabrina interrupted. "I asked Prudence if she wanted to join us in finalizing plans for my Aunt Hilda's bachelorette party."

"What do witches do for bachelorette parties?" Roz asked.

"They don't have them," Prudence stated. "Warlocks enjoy a night filled of debauchery - much like mortal men - but witches do not have the luxury. On the eve of a witch's wedding, she is expected to stay home should the Dark Lord decide to visit her and claim her."

"_Claim_ her?" Sabrina gave Roz a knowing look. "Oh...uh well now that the Dark Lord can't….claim anyone, what happens?"

"Well, now witches are free to enjoy their last night of being single as they wish," Sabrina smiled. "Did you talk to your cousin?"

"I did. She said she would talk to the owner, but she doesn't think it should be an issue."

"Roz's cousin is trying to book this club she sings at for us."

"Fascinating," Prudence said in a bored tone. "It would seem you have everything planned already."

"Well, we kind of need to find something to do. We have a place, but activities are lacking."

"So you're throwing a party with no entertainment?" Prudence rolled her eyes. "Leave it to me and my sisters. We will ensure that the night is….entertaining."

"You aren't planning on killing anyone are you?" Roz asked only half joking.

"Do you think witches have some unfulfilled blood lust they can never satisfy?"

"Whoa! Let's tone it down," Sabrina interjected. "We aren't killing anyone. We just need something tasteful my Aunt Hilda will appreciate. And no strippers. She isn't a fan of them."

"Yet she reads those awful romance stories."

"Reading about it and seeing a naked man swing his thong clad junk in your face are two totally different things."

"Speaking of man junk, I heard some pleasurable moans coming through the floorboards last night."

"Prudence!"

"Wait a minute, you and Nick finally did it?" Roz asked excitedly. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"We didn't," Sabrina said quickly.

"It sure sounded like you did," Prudence teased.

"You can do things that make you moan without having sex."

"Like what pray tell?"

Sabrina's face turned bright red as she recalled the events of last night. She and Nick tried something different and definitely exciting for the both of them to ensure the relief they both needed without actually having sex. As erotic as it was, it was also intimate. She could still feel his soft touch on her skin, exploring places it never had before. Her own hands had also touched places on Nick's body they never had.

"What Nick and I did last night is private," Sabrina stated, not wanting to share as if it would defile what she had done with her boyfriend.

"If it was intended to be private, why do them in a house full of people?"

"I can't touch my boyfriend when he lives in the room below my ex."

"So you let him touch you down the hall from where your two aunts sleep?"

"She has a point there, Brina," Roz agreed.

"Well I thought you guys were….sleeping," Sabrina said, making a face when she realized how it sounded. A moment later, the three girls started to laugh. "I am a terrible person for that."

"At least you weren't _caught_," Roz said.

"You were caught in the act of doing the deed with the Kinkle boy?" Prudence asked.

Roz nodded. "By his dad….while Nick was napping downstairs….twice."

Prudence looked at Roz with a surprised, yet impressed look. "My, I may have misjudged you Rosalind."

"Thank you? Well, I doubt we'll get caught doing anything anytime soon. I texted and called Harvey earlier, but he isn't answering me."

"Is he that mad?" Sabrina asked.

"Wouldn't you be?"

Sabrina sighed. "I might as well be. Nick told me about the way witch proposals go and it doesn't look so great right now."

"What do you mean?"

"A warlock must obtain permission from the head of the witch's family before he can propose or risk excommunication from the family," Prudence explained. "And in this case, they would also be excluded from the church since Zelda is the head of the family _and _the Church of Lilith."

"Why would Zelda say no if…."

"Oh please, Rosalind, she _hates_ Nicholas. He is handsome, rich, and powerful. He reminds her too much of my father. Not to mention he has broken Sabrina's heart before."

Roz opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it quickly. The look on her face made it seem like she was lost or missing something. It dawned on her that _they _were missing something. Prudence said something about getting a movie for them to watch from her and Ambrose's room before disappearing up the stairs. Sabrina looked at her friend, knowing that something was up.

"Hey, you ok?" Sabrina asked.

"Huh? Oh, yea. I'm fine. I just….I thought your Aunt Zelda would have forgiven Nick by now."

Sabrina sighed. "I had hoped she would, but she's just being overprotective. I can't blame her. We've all been through a lot over the last two years."

"Yea."

"That all that's on your mind? Nothing else?" Sabrina knew there was more, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to pry it out of her friend. She could only hope Roz would share.

Roz just smiled and shook her head. "That's all," she replied hoping Sabrina wouldn't press more. "Hey, so are you and Nick getting a room for prom night? Harvey and I did but I don't know if we'll be using it."

Sabrina shrugged. "I don't think so. I mean, we haven't really discussed prom _night_. We aren't having sex so it seems a bit much to pay for a room when we can just watch movies and cuddle here."

"I guess. I just was hoping to dodge an awkward night alone with him."

"You're still going to prom together right?"

"Sorta. I did invite Theo to tag along though."

"Oh, Roz, no."

"I had to Brina. Harvey is really upset and I just don't want to fight with him. Theo volunteered to be a buffer."

"what was he planning on doing if you didn't ask him to be a third wheel?"

"I'm not sure. He mentioned that he and Billy sorta talked about prom and said Billy didn't have a date either. Theo said they were going to go stag together."

"That….is confusing."

"I thought so too. But apparently something happened and that's not happening anymore."

"Did he tell you what that something was?"

Roz shook her head. "He just stopped talking about it. He seemed upset so I didn't push the subject. I wonder if…" She was interrupted by the sound of her cell phone chiming. She pulled it out of her purse. Theo's name flashed across her screen. She hit the answer button and held the phone to her ear. "Hey Theo, what's up? Hold….hold on. You're going to fast. I need to go where? What are you guys doing _there_?" Roz groaned at Theo's response. "Alright, alright. We're on our way."

"What's going on?" Sabrina asked as Roz angrily hit the end button and shoved her phone in her purse.

"We need to head to the Riverdale Sheriff's office," Roz said. "Harvey's in jail."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Roz didn't remember the drive into Riverdale being so long. She remembered as a child, her parents would take her to the neighboring town and it would only take 20 minutes to get into the heart of the city. Tonight, it felt like hours to get there. She nearly jumped out of the car once she pulled into a spot. Sabrina and Prudence practically ran to catch up with her.

As soon as they ran through the doors, they spotted a middle aged man in uniform talking to another officer. He was tall, well built, and rather handsome. He removed his hat to reveal his short, slicked back black hair. His beard was the same shade of black, but had a few specks of grey. The badge pinned to his shirt indicated he was the sheriff as the nameplate read 'Jones.'

"Ladies, how can I help you?" Sheriff Jones asked.

"I'm looking for my boyfriend," Roz said quickly. "His name is Harvey. Harvey Kinkle. Is he here?"

Sheriff Jones nodded as he tossed his hat onto the desk behind him. "He is," Jones sighed. "Miss…"

"Walker."

"Miss Walker, why don't we talk in my office?"

"Can my friends come?"

Sheriff Jones nodded and the three women followed the older man to his office. He sat behind his desk and leaned back in his chair as Roz, Sabrina, and Prudence sat across from him.

"Given the fact Mr. Kinkle is only 18 and about to graduate, I didn't want to talk about this out in the open. Your boyfriend was in the middle of a street fight," Sheriff Jones stated.

"Harvey Kinkle was in a street fight?" Prudence laughed. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. When we arrived on scene, he and the gentleman he was fighting with caused significant property damage to a local business. To top it off, Mr. Kinkle was intoxicated."

"I'm sorry. Did you just say Harvey was _drunk_?" Sabrina asked in surprise. "But Harvey doesn't drink."

"Sabrina, we'll talk about it later," Roz whispered to her friend. "Is Harvey ok at least?"

"He's got some cuts and bruises and he'll be sore tomorrow. He's lucky his brother offered to pay for all the damages so the owner wouldn't press charges."

"His brother?" the three girls asked at the same time.

Sheriff Jones raised a brow. "Yes. A mister…." He shuffled some papers on his desk until he found the stack pertaining to Harvey. "Nicholas Scratch. Your friend, Theo Putnam, gave his name when we asked about next of kin."

"And Nick said he would pay for all the damages?" Sabrina asked.

"He did. In cash."

"He paid for everything. In cash?"

Sheriff Jones nodded. "Around here, when someone pays a large sum of money in cash, it usually means something."

"That Nicky doesn't believe in banks?" Prudence asked mockingly. "If memory serves me, Greendale hasn't had any less reputable ongoings. Riverdale, on the other hand has had how many murders in the last few years? I believe one even included yourself, Sheriff F.P. Jones."

The sheriff leaned forward and glared at Prudence. "We all have our pasts, Miss…."

"Night."

"Miss Night. I'm sure you do as well. As you can see, I've cleaned up my act and done something with my life that can make my kids proud. I'm hoping your friend, Mr. Kinkle, can do the same."

"Ooook," Roz said, trying to ease the tension. "Can we see Harvey?"

F.P. cleared his throat and straightened up. "In a moment. His brother asked for a moment alone with him. Miss Walker, I've discussed this with your boyfriend's brother already but I would suggest getting Harvey some help. He's too young to end up a drunk. I got a boy his age. Thank God he's never hit the bottle, but if he did I'd pray his friends would help him out like you are Mr. Kinkle."

There was a knock at the door and a teenager in a beanie that oddly resembled a crown poked his head in. "They're ready for you," the boy said.

"Thank you, Jug," the sheriff nodded. He stood and pointed to the door with his hand. "Ladies, right this way."

* * *

Harvey sat in his cell with his face in his hands. His body was sore and he was sobering up fast. He could barely remember what happened. He remembered leaving the bar and accidentally bumping into someone. Things got blurry after that. He remembered fists flying and he and the thugs went flying through a diner window.

The poor older black man behind the counter yelled for the two boys to stop, but they didn't. Adrenaline was pumping through their veins. The man must have called the police because seconds later the sheriff and a swarm of officers descended on them. He remembered yelling at Theo who stood on the curb not to call his father.

Harvey wasn't sure if his friend listened to his plea. The last thing he could see before the cruiser pulled away was Theo on his phone. So for the last hour and a half, Harvey sat in his cell waiting for what was to come. All he could do was think of the worst that could happen. What would his father say when he saw his son like this? What would he do?

"Mr. Kinkle," Sheriff Jones called, "you have a visitor."

Harvey sighed and looked up. He was surprised when he saw Nick in the other side of the cell bars.

"Nick?" Harvey asked in disbelief as he stood.

"Sheriff, do you mind if I have a word with my brother alone?" Nick asked.

"Go right ahead," the sheriff said as he unlocked the door and let Nick step inside. "Just call for a deputy when you're ready."

Harvey waited for the room to clear before speaking. "You told them you're my brother?" he asked.

"Technically, Theo did," Nick sighed as he sat on the bench. "They wouldn't release you to anyone but a family member since you are still a high school student."

"And they believe you're older than me?"

"I am older than you, Kinkle. I'm _much _older." He rubbed his face and let out another sigh. "I paid the diner owner for the damages you did to his shop. Gave him a bit more for his troubles. He won't be pressing charges."

"Then why am I in here?"

"Because you're an 18 year old kid that dove through a diner window with another guy while drunk. They had to detain you at the very least. I took care of the bail as well."

"This is not what I was expecting. I thought you would be screaming at me or threatening to kick my ass," Harvey admitted as he sat beside Nick.

"I thought about it. Ambrose is even prepared to tackle me if I beat you to an inch of your life. This is some pretty dumb shit you're doing, Harvey. Dangerous shit."

"Seriously, how calm you are is freaking me out."

"Why did you propose to Roz? And don't give me the bullshit answer of how you just love her and want to spend the rest of your life with her."

Harvey let out a breath, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I don't know. When I asked her, it really seemed right. Then she said no. I was so upset. I just didn't understand why she would say no. The more I thought about it, the stupider I felt. We haven't even graduated and I was trying to make this huge life decision when our lives have barely begun. I realized that after what we went through last year, I just didn't want anymore surprises. I wanted to know that she was safe. That _we _were safe."

"Can I ask you something? What was it that you saw in Hell?"

Harvey's froze as a chill ran down his spine. They had all endured their own personal tortures as they ventured into the deep to save Nick. The realms and demons of Hell played mind games, extracting agonizing details from their minds to break each of them down so that they could claim another soul.

"Um, well, I saw two futures," Harvey said, his voice shaking. "If I stayed in Greendale, I would turn out like my dad. But if I left, I'd lose Roz. I thought if I proposed, I could leave with Roz. I guess it brought both futures about."

Nick scratched his chin and let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"For what?"

"This. Everything. You would have never seen those fates if you hadn't come to save me. Those futures are only one of many. The worst case scenario of your life. When you venture into Hell, the realms try to break you. Question your very existence."

"It worked. I became exactly what those futures said I would be."

"Then be someone else. Be something else. The first thing you need to do is talk to Roz. You also need to stop drinking. It'll kill you one day."

"Who are you? My dad?" Harvey laughed.

"You're lucky I'm not," Nick said half joking.

"Can I ask _you_ something now?"

"Sure."

"Where the hell did you get the money to pay for my bail and the damages to that shop?"

"From my wallet." Harvey raised a brow. "Don't worry about it. You can just be in debit to me for the rest of your life."

They both laughed as Harvey playfully shoved his friend's shoulder. When they volunteered to help save Nick, Harvey did it for Sabrina. He didn't care much for the warlock. He still hadn't for some time after their return. But things had changed. He got to know Nick - the good and the bad. Most of all, Harvey saw just how much and how deeply Nick loved Sabrina.

At times, he wondered if he had loved Sabrina that much. He realized he loved Sabrina differently. He loved a sweet, simple mortal Sabrina Spellman. Nick loved the real Sabrina. He knew exactly what she was from the moment they met and loved her no matter what she was.

Nick stood and called for a deputy. A teenager that looked as old as Harvey came by. The kid looked familiar somehow. His dark brown hair stuck out underneath his black beanie that had a cuff that resembled a crown. The boy's leather jacket had an emblem of a snake with "Southside" above and "Serpents" below the picture. Nick wanted to laugh at the fact that Riverdale's law enforcement was run by a gang.

He told the teen that he and Harvey were ready to leave. The boy asked for a moment as he went to fetch the Sheriff. The blood drained from Harvey's face when Sheriff Jones returned with Roz, Sabrina, and Prudence in tow.

"You called her?" Harvey asked.

"Of course not. Why would I shell out the cash if she was going to come here to murder you?" Nick half joked. "Sheriff, can you let me out first? I need a head start before she gets to him."

"Dude, not cool."

"Self-preservation my friend."

* * *

Roz tossed the truck keys into the bowl beside the door as Harvey slowly made his way into the house.

"Thank you for driving me home," Harvey said.

He stopped at Nick's door, opening it half expecting to hear his friend yell at not knocking. But the room was vacant. The bed perfectly made, TV off, books stacked carefully on the desk. He knew Nick didn't come home so that Harvey had an opportunity to speak with Roz without a scapegoat of not wanting to discuss the situation in front of their friend.

"Harvey," Roz called, "we need to talk."

Harvey sighed and headed to the kitchen where Roz was sitting at the table. He sat across from her and leaned back into his chair.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked slightly annoyed.

"Well, first off, we need to talk about how stupid what you did today was. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I was trying to leave and I bumped into someone on accident. I tried to walk away but…."

"Harvey, don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Theo already told me what happened. He told me how you went to a bar with _Tommy's _ID and when he tried to get you to leave you got made and stormed out. He told me you bumped into the guy and got mad and threw a punch. Harvey, what is going on with you?"

Harvey kept his eyes fixated on the table. Roz was asking a loaded question he didn't have the answers to.

"It all got out of control. Not just tonight….everything. I was so worried about what was going to happen with us and to me, I tried to keep it from happening. I didn't realize ny trying to prevent it, I made everything worse."

"What do you mean what was going to happen to you and us?"

"When we were in Hell, I saw two futures. One where I became my father and one where I lost you. Stupid me; I managed to do both."

Roz sighed as she reached across the table and put her hand on his. "Oh, Harvey, you didn't lose me. Just because we're going to colleges that are further apart doesn't mean we're breaking up. I just don't think we're ready to get married."

"Yea, honestly, I didn't think we were either. I just didn't know what else to do at the time. I am proud of you though for getting into Harvard."

Roz smiled. "Thank you. And it really isn't _that_ far. We can always meet in the middle too."

Harvey nodded. "So, are we ok now?"

"We still have some things to work on, but we'll be ok."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What did you see in Hell?"

Roz took a deep breath and shifted in her seat. "Greendale."

"Greendale?"

"I saw my life as if….as if I were stuck here. Never moving forward. Never doing better."

"Oh. Because of me?"

Roz shook her head. "No, not because of you. To be honest, what I saw in Hell wasn't anything I didn't know I feared. It was the things I saw since we came back that scare me."

"Like what?"

"Secrets. Things that people have done or will do….secrets that involve our friends. Ones that can change everything."

***break***

Zelda stared down at key in her hand. She knew the moment Nick had handed it to her last year what exactly it was for. Now, behind the closed doors of her office, she was ready to use it. She closed her hand around the brass key and looked at the small mahogany box on her desk. Spellman was written elegantly across the top with the family's crest below it. She toom a deep breath and inserted the key into the slot.

She could hear the small gears turn until the lock made a click, indicating the lid could be opened. She lifted the lid and stared down at the contents. She let out a few long breaths to even her breathing.

_Edward knew_, she thought to herself.

"Aunt Zelda? Are you home?" Sabrina called.

Zelda quickly shut the lid and locked the box. She returned it to its hiding place just as Sabrina opened the door.

"Sabrina," Zelda frowned. "Where in Lilith's name have you been?"

"We took a small trip to Riverdale," Sabrina replied.

"All of you?"

"Yes, Aunt Zee. Prudence and I met up with Nick and Ambrose."

"I prefer if you stayed on this side of Sweetwater River. Witches did their best to stay away from Riverdale. That place has its own children of darkness that are much more menacing than those in Greendale."

Sabrina raised a brow, expecting her aunt to elaborate but none came.

"We actually booked a place for Aunt Hilda's bachelorette party in Riverdale. Roz's cousin sings are this place and they agreed to host us."

"And what was wrong with Dorian's?"

"Ambrose and Nick are taking Dr. Cee there. Plus, he isn't as keen to hosting an all female party with a mortal."

Zelda sighed. "Fine, but we are going straight to the establishment and straight back."

Sabrina nodded, not questioning her aunt's dislike for the neighboring town. "Well, I'm heading to bed. So you know, Nick is sleeping over. And yes, we will keep things PG-13 because the twins are home."

"Thank you. And goodnight, Sabrina."

"Goodnight, Auntie." Sabrina walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Zelda let out a heavy sigh once she was alone again and prayed to Lilith her secret never got out.

* * *

**_**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. Life happened lol. In exchange for my poor updating skills, I will be treating you all next chapter. PROM NIGHT! Hoping to get it up in the next few days. Happy post hump day yall!_**


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